Review of Eaglefire Winery Muscat Blanc 2013

We received the product for review and all opinions are our own.

Worry not my Gulf Coast friends, there are wineries in southeast Texas that are producing some great wines as some of you already know. It is always a great feeling when you can drive over to your local winery on a whim and enjoy some solid wines when you don’t feel like traveling several hours to a prominent wine trail.

Founded in 2010 in Houston, Texas, Eaglefire Winery has been crafting Texas wines for several years now. Chris Caldwell is the founder/winemaker and recently merged with Braman Winery, founded by Joe Braman. They operate under Braman Brands, but both labels are still independently produced today. The Eaglefire brand is the label that concentrates on producing wines from all Texas fruit. For the full story on the wineries and merger, read Jeff Cope’s story.

This Muscat Blanc is an off dry wine that is very crisp and refreshing. I barely detect any residual sugar, so I would almost call it dry on the palate personally. In the glass, the wine is clear and bright and offers a straw color to the eyes. In the right light there is almost a slight pinkish hue as well. The nose is tantalizing, delivering wafts of mango, pineapple, honey, and to me even a little grass. The palate surprised me, as it does not really confirm the nose. I expected prominent tropical flavors, but I actually detect apples, honey, lime, and peaches. There is just a glimpse of mango on the palate, but the tropical fruit characteristics lie mostly in the aromatics on this one.

Specifications:

• Eaglefire Winery Muscat Blanc, 2013 vintage
• Winemaker: Chris Caldwell
• Appellation: Texas Gulf Coast, Washington County, Palacios Vineyards
• Grape varieties: 100% Muscat Blanc
• Barrels: N/A
• Clarity/Brightness: Clear/bright with no detectable flaws and no evidence of gas or sediment
• Tannins: N/A
• Acidity: Medium Plus
• Alcohol: Medium
• Finish: Medium Plus
• Alcohol by volume: 12.6%
• Residual Sugar: 1.5g/L
• Retail price: $20.00

This wine is a great selection for sitting outside on a warm breezy spring day in Texas. You can see I am already looking forward to warmer weather ASAP! As easy as it is to chill a bottle like this down in a bucket of ice, I highly recommend against it. Until this bottle hit about 58 degrees, it was very tight for me and the palate showed no mango until it was opened up in the glass and not quite as cold. It can easily be enjoyed on its own, but truly shines with food. I prepared a spicy chicken breast that was heavily seasoned, grilled, finished in the oven, then topped with a drizzle of honey and topped with slices of avocado. The Muscat Blanc and this dish were meant to be together. As Forrest Gump would say, they go together like peas and carrots.

Sip, savor, and enjoy my fellow aficionados.