Rick R.
Yelp
Marjan and I are frequent visitors to wineries in general, and to Fredericksburg wineries in particular. Marjan has experienced the Napa Valley offerings, and has shared wine experience as guest of oenophiles with remarkable collections. We have enjoyed wines while in Europe and South of the border. In truth, we have specific tastes for wine, developed over the years, given the mentioned frame of reference. Ergo, our shared review of Kalasi Cellars.
We learned of this winery from guests at other establishments in Fredericksburg this holiday weekend. The comments were so glowing, we felt compelled to visit.
The winery is found off hwy 290, a few miles north of the town. The tasting room is placed within a couple dozen acres of pasture, home to their pet livestock. The winery grows their own grapes in the Texas Plains, and the proprietors have degreed qualifications in viticulture and business.
The environment of the grounds can best be described as typical pasture land, lacking the hill country essence of say, the grounds of The Edge. There are not rows of vines that surround Augusta Vin. And there is no hill country charm of the grounds of some of the smaller wineries found east on 290.
The design of the tasting room is of soaring ceilings, with windows allowing pleasing ambient light bathing the visitors. The furnishings are spare, with aluminum stools around the bar, the walls without visual elements, absent those we found at another winery we visited: for example, original works by San Antonio artist Mondini, or images of typical hill country pieces. In a word, the tasting room is contemporary, clean to the eye.
We visited at the end of the tasting day, 10 or so guests at table. The staff, a gentleman and lady immediately greeted us. The friendly staff seemed very well versed in the history of the proprietors, the genesis of the winery, and aspects of the philosophy and techniques employed by the owners. We considered this a true reflection of the time and effort that the owners instilled in the staff, a reflection of the true pride in their enterprise. At some of the wineries we had visited, staff can be poorly trained, inattentive and less than knowledgeable about their product. This was particularly true of some of larger establishments, frequented by the "cruise ships" of guests that unload at the wineries, but such was not the case at Kalasi.
We learned that the proprietors are introducing grapes that are not usually known in local wineries, developing reds and whites that embody not only the grape, but flavors that reflect aspects of the viticulturist's roots. The owners are utilizing techniques (optical selection) whose purpose is to select only the most desirable grapes from their vineyards. The upshot: lower yield, for better quality. They are also utilizing not only wooden casks, but also stainless steel, with varying times to desired maturity. We were impressed with this avant garde approach to their product.
But the true matter at hand was the product itself. We began with sampling of white wine, these with light body, drier to the palate, with a moderate finish. Two were on the menu, both with similar character.
There were three reds that we sampled. The nose of the wines were different, not unpleasing, but not remarkable. All of the reds were dry, and we found them with a different flavor, but with a finish that didn't really agree with our particular preference.
Wine preferences are very individual, with shared preferences that can be universal. For our tastes, the nuances of Kalasi offerings didn't really meet our preferences. Nontheless, we remain open minded about this newer winery, given the intent, grapes and techniques being developed by the proprietors. We plan a future visit.
