Bill Blackmon and Chris Brundrett Winemaker Profiles

This month we get two winemakers profiled from William Chris Vineyards, owners and winemakers Bill Blackmon and Chris Brundrett. Both winemakers provided answers to our questions.

Bill Blackmon:

What did you do before becoming a winemaker (if anything)?

Before winemaking, I farmed on the High Plains around Lubbock farming cotton and the grain sorghum. I planted my first vineyard in 1983.

What is the toughest challenge about being a winemaker in Texas?

The most challenging aspect of farming grapes in Texas is Mother Nature. You better have a hearty soul to stay in the business.

Is winemaking an art or a science or both?

Winemaking is a passion. Art is a passion. Science is knowledge and understanding. They both go hand in hand.

What is your favorite food and wine pairing?

An awesome red wine with a rib eye…bone in.

If you didn’t make wine, what would you do?

Art

What first attracted you to winemaking and how long have you been doing it?

I wanted to grow something exciting. That had an end meaning for me. Growing grapes was more permanent and had an end product that could show you the stars.

What is the most common question you are asked as a winemaker?

Will you come look at my vineyard site?  I want to make wine.

After a long day in the winery or vineyard, what do you do?

Talk wine, talk grapes, or go to antique auctions, which is not a good thing for me as I have no space for anything else. Talk with Beth about the universe.

What is your winemaking philosophy, that is, what are you trying to achieve with your wines?

Wine is made in the vineyard. We are the stewards once it is harvested. I want the wines to express the vineyard and the beauty they can bring.

Chris Brundrett:

What did you do before becoming a winemaker (if anything)?

Lots of tractor work and ranch work when I was a kid. One day I realized I could make more money in restaurants. I also love being around food. Of course all roads in my life seem to lead to wine and that is the case for the restaurant business. It was the spark that peaked my interest in wine.

What is the toughest challenge about being a winemaker in Texas?

The weather, dealing with different harvest levels and different vintages you have to be able to think on your feet and be open to changing your game plan. I feel really fortunate to have a business partner who is on board with taking wines different directions with different vintages. We are also blessed to have the coolest supporters. They (as I do) feel that it is really exciting to taste different vintages and get the flavors that the terroir gives, but has a different feel because of the weather changes. That I think is one of the coolest aspect of our style. I feel like the people who dig our style really appreciate the range of our wines.

Is winemaking an art or a science or both?

There is a lot of science behind the art. I feel like sometimes we need to coax the best nuances out of the fruit. We choose to do this very naturally with very little additives. It is also an art to put so many people together in my opinion to produce and grow wines. We have so many wonderful families who work with us to produce and share the William Chris wines; I feel blessed to be a part of the story.

What is your favorite food and wine pairing?

That is a tough one because there are so many. I would have to say my lamb meat loaf with green chiles and hominy with a bottle of Mourvèdre.

If you didn’t make wine, what would you do?

Make brandy or beer or both. Maybe even produce sauces and rubs. That is a hobby of mine.

What first attracted you to winemaking and how long have you been doing it?

I was still in college and loved wine. I went through a winery that had just opened and the owner/winemaker took me through the winery and tasted out of barrels and told me where the fruit was from, and from that moment I was hooked! I thought if I can do this for a living it’s time for a life change and I need to finish school and chase this career.

What is the most common question you are asked as a winemaker?

Do you just love your job?

After a long day in the winery or vineyard, what do you do?

Hang out with my girls or go to the ranch. Or both.

What’s the greatest part about being a winemaker?

I get to wake up every day and share a piece of our world with our fans as well as other people who have not had a chance to experience Texas wine this way. Being able to look out on our deck and see a family all being brought together by something we are sharing with them is by far the greatest accomplishment as a wine grower. All the medals in the world can’t compare to the feeling I get when I see that.

What is your winemaking philosophy, that is, what are you trying to achieve with your wines?

We try to express what the vineyard and Texas has to offer. We strive to work with the best growers in the state as well farm the best grapes possible in order produce wines that are soulful and show terroir. Great wine growing is the key to achieving our style of low impact wine making.

Anything else you would like to add?

I am so excited about where Texas wine is and where it is going. There are some great growers out there and some very talented winemakers really pushing each other to raise the bar.

I would also like to take a minute to thank all of our fans. They have really given us the ability to produce some truly extraordinary wines. They get what growing real Texas wine is all about. For that I am truly appreciative.