Revisiting Driftwood Estate Winery with Winemaker Jackie van Sant Downes

If you’re a fan of Texas wines, you’ve certainly heard of Driftwood Estate Winery. Their 2012 Longhorn Red was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah and received the Top Texas Wine award at the 2015 Houston Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition. Founded in 2002 on 200 acres, the winery has beautiful hill country views and 100% Texas wines. While the winery is less than an hour from my home, I haven’t visited in years. It was time for a revisit, and I was excited to spend some time with winemaker Jackie van Sant Downes.

Jackie and I sat outside on a breezy spring afternoon and enjoyed the view overlooking the vineyard. We talked about her childhood in Houston, her family (she’s a triplet), her introduction to wine, how she ended up in California, and her good luck in making it back to Texas.

Jackie went to Texas Tech to study Communication Studies and Psychology. Her aunt and uncle opened a wine bar in Katy, and Jackie was lucky enough to be in on some tastings when reps came by to pour wines. She started to develop her palate, and in no time, her aunt Robin had secured a harvest internship for Jackie in California. She graduated in August of 2007 and was on a plane three days later. Jackie didn’t plan to become a winemaker, it just seemed like an interesting temporary job. She quickly learned that she was good at manual labor and paying attention to detail, which are required in winemaking. She worked that harvest at Mauritson Wines in Dry Creek Valley, which is part of Sonoma County, and they ultimately offered her a full-time position. What was intended to be a three-month gig turned into a career with three Sonoma wineries over nearly fifteen years.

By 2020, Jackie was a winemaker, married with two young children, and had a wine label of her own. She was beginning to feel a tug back to Texas that would make her closer to family. She and her husband were visiting friends in the small town of Wimberley, which led to a tasting at the nearby Driftwood Estate Winery. Admittedly, Jackie had only tried a handful of Texas wines, and that was over a decade earlier. She was impressed with the wines at Driftwood and made a mental note to try more Texas bottles.

Back in California, Jackie was doing an online search to learn more about Texas vineyards and what grapes are being grown. She ended up on the Texas Hill Country Wineries website, and there was a job posting for a winemaker at Driftwood Estate Winery. Jackie says, “Isn’t that interesting? I wasn’t even looking for it, but the job posting popped up and it happened to be the winery we had just visited. We fell in love with Wimberley, I liked the wines at Driftwood, we were ready to move home to Texas, so it made sense that I should apply.” By June 2021, they bought a house in Wimberley, and she was working at Driftwood Estate Winery.

Owner Gary Elliott planted his vines in 1998, making Driftwood Estate Winery the first commercial vineyard in Hays County. The estate now has 18 acres of vines, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Viognier. Over 60% of the vines were lost to the freeze in 2021, and the vineyard was replanted the following year. While Jackie and I sat talking, we could see the crew replanting individual vines that didn’t take. In addition to the estate fruit, Driftwood purchases additional grapes from growers in the High Plains, including Newsom and Bingham vineyards. Jackie said, “I absolutely love Newsom Vineyards. The fruit is so great, and it is such an amazing family. I really like the growing area and feel the fruit is closer to what I was used to in California and has consistency of quality.” The winery produced an average of 6,000 cases annually with plans for slow growth in the coming years. It’s a manageable production size for Jackie with one cellar worker.

Harvesting. Photo courtesy of Laura Elliot

Once we wrapped up our chat about Jackie’s background, we went inside to taste some wines.

2023 Cuvee

This wine has always been a blend of estate whites but since the vines were lost in 2021, they have used what they have but the base for this vintage is Trebbiano from Bingham Vineyards. The wine is bright and crisp with tropical notes, a papaya finish, and a hint of white flowers. Smooth and easy drinking, and it just may be my house white this summer! $35

2023 Dry Rosé

This very pink wine is very floral on the nose. It is made from estate Syrah and Sangiovese picked early for the rosé and Mourvèdre from Salt Lick Vineyards all straight to press, plus some Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Petit Verdot from the Texas High Plains saignée which added the color. Each wine was fermented separately and then blended. The aromas include grapefruit and strawberry with a very watermelon-dominant palate. $35

2019 Sangiovese

There are two Sangiovese, and this one is from the estate. It is lighter in color but full-bodied, with a slight sweetness from the oak and a nice texture on the palate. The nose has a hint of coffee beans, and the finish has a touch of orange peel. This wine won a Gold medal, Class Champion, and Texas Class Champion at the 2024 Houston Rodeo. $40

2019 Barrel Reserve Sangiovese

These grapes are from Newsom Vineyards, and the wine is aged longer in new French oak. It is darker in color than the other Sangiovese and the tannins are more pronounced. The extra body of this wine led me to think of pairing with a cheesy pasta. $40

2019 Alamo Red

This wine is a blend of Texas High Plains 40% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Petit Verdot. It is a beautiful example of a Bordeaux blend, and I took home a bottle to open with our steak dinner that night. The wine doesn’t need food but held up nicely to our lean cut of sirloin. The tannins are present but soft and elegant. This wine won a Gold medal at the 2024 Houston Rodeo Wine Competition, plus Best of Class and Double Gold at the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. $40

These are just a few of the wines on the current menu. The 2021 reds have just been bottled and will be released later this year, so you’ll find some new things on the menu. In addition to new wines, the next time you visit Driftwood Estate Winery, you’ll also find beer on the menu. The bistro is open on weekends for some great food to go along with the sprawling views and fine wines. Driftwood is only 45 minutes Southwest of Austin, an hour Northeast of San Antonio, and less than an hour and a half from downtown Fredericksburg – and well worth the drive!