When I first tasted through the wines of Missick Cellars in January 2025, owners Chris and Laure Missick thought they would be opening their new Boerne tasting room that April or May. As often happens when opening a winery, permitting, utilities, and other unexpected issues kept pushing that date farther into the future.
The wait is finally over. Missick Cellars recently opened its doors in Boerne, bringing a winery with a much longer history to the Texas Hill Country.
Chris and Laure Missick
Chris and Laure are not newcomers to wine. The Missick family purchased a winery in New York’s Finger Lakes in 2011, and Chris eventually became the head winemaker. The winery was rebranded as Missick Cellars in 2020. During their years in New York, they earned national recognition for their wines, developed a sparkling wine program, and even helped bring Chenin Blanc back to the Finger Lakes.
In 2023, the family moved to Boerne and began the next chapter of Missick Cellars. Chris also began working at Bending Branch Winery as a consulting winemaker, where he made whites, rosés, and traditional-method sparkling wines while learning about the many varietals available for Texas wine. Beginning in 2025, his work there shifted to making only his own Missick Cellars wines.
One thing Chris wanted to make clear with the new tasting room is that Missick Cellars is now focused on Texas. He deliberately opened with Texas wines rather than filling the list with wines from his former Finger Lakes winery. As he explained during our recent visit, Texas is now the priority.
That philosophy is spelled out on the welcome page of the tasting menu. Missick Cellars lists five guiding principles: authenticity, wines of place, deliciousness, faith, and community. In summary, Missick Cellars’ approach is one of minimal intervention, with no fining or aggressive chemical additions, while making wines representative of where they are grown using traditional Old World production methods.
During my January 2025 visit, I did taste some of Missick Cellars’ Finger Lakes wines, and they were excellent. They also had some sparkling wines, so I look forward to seeing some sparkling wines on the tasting menu.
The wines available during our recent visit were:
- 2025 Grüner Veltliner, Ginger Fields Vineyard, Texas High Plains. Chris used extended lees aging, something he particularly enjoys with white wines.
- 2024 Albariño, Texas High Plains
- 2023 Dry Riesling, Texas High Plains
- 2024 Saignée Rosé (60% Cabernet Franc [Texas High Plains], 20% Malbec [Hill Country], 20% Mourvèdre [Texas High Plains]), Texas
- 2023 Mourvèdre, Triple D Vineyard, Texas High Plains
- 2021 Mourvèdre, Tallent Vineyards, Texas Hill Country
- 2023 Tannat, Narra Vineyard, Texas High Plains. 12.7% ABV.
- 2023 Petite Sirah, Triple D Vineyard, Texas High Plains.
The 2023 Dry Riesling with fruit from the Texas High Plains was a Double Gold winner at the 2025 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, and that got people to notice that Texas can actually produce a Riesling with Texas fruit. It just takes quality fruit in the hands of a winemaker who knows how to produce award-winning Rieslings, as Chris Missick did in the Finger Lakes.
Even though it wasn’t on the current tasting menu, their 2024 Viognier won Best of Class at the 2026 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.
There are no tasting notes or bottle prices printed beside the wines on the tasting menu. That is intentional. Chris does not want either tasting notes or price to influence someone’s opinion before they taste the wine. A separate price list is available once guests decide what they enjoy.
There is no wine club available yet.
When I first visited Missick Cellars in January 2025, the tasting room was still being constructed. The tasting bar was finished, and Chris had used his magic on the front of the tasting bar using barrel staves. Now that the tasting room is complete, the entire space has come together beautifully. The dark ceiling, large barrel-inspired chandeliers, warm wood furnishings, and comfortable seating give the room an elegant but relaxed feel. Large communal tables provide plenty of room for groups, while smaller tables and lounge chairs create more intimate spaces to enjoy a glass of wine.
Missick Cellars playground
Missick Cellars also wants the Boerne tasting room to be a community gathering place, particularly for families. Behind the winery is a playground along with picnic tables, giving parents a place to enjoy a glass of wine while their children have something to do. The winery does have many different alcohol free options available, including a variety of Italian sodas.
Missick Cellars may be one of Boerne’s newest wineries, but this is hardly Chris and Laure Missick’s first chapter in wine. After years in the Finger Lakes and a move halfway across the country, they now have the doors open, the Texas wines flowing, and a new chapter underway in the Hill Country.
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