It is always fun getting a sneak preview of a winery that will be opening soon. That happened with Buena Suerte Vineyards owner Gail Day and me when I was visiting the Texas High Plains earlier this year, and we visited Yellow House Cellars.
We met co-owner CJ Kubacak at the tasting room that was still being built on the property of their Kubacak Vineyards. CJ used to be a pilot and was traveling the world. After the birth of his and wife Jennifer’s twins, he needed to stay at home and spend time with the children. They bought a cotton farm and planted their first vineyard in 2015. Now they have 65 acres of vines growing 13 different varieties of grapes. 90% of their fruit gets sold to Southold Farm + Cellar.
Inside the still being built tasting room, CJ poured the first wine, a 2020 Gruner Veltliner from their estate vineyard. CJ believes he was the first one in Texas to plant Gruner. The wine was excellent!
The following were the other estate wines we enjoyed:
- 2020 Picpoul Blanc
- 2019 Sangiovese
- 2019 Tempranillo
A Roussanne will be coming out next year.
While we were tasting, CJ explained he was building the tasting room by himself, and to me, it was looking really good. They will also be building an event center and winery at the location in the future.
CJ Kubacak
The wines tasted great, the location scenic, and I can highly recommend visiting them once the tasting room opens.
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