As beautiful Sunday’s in February go, today was tough to beat.  Skies as blue as you could see . . . a warming wind from the southwest . . . and the first ‘top down’ of the year for the Jeep.  Well, technically, we only partially opened the roof but it still counts!  There is something special about driving a winding Texas backroad with the top of your Jeep Wrangler off and the sun pouring in!  And, the best part?  It’s ONLY February!  Yeah, we’re looking forward to March and April for full-blown, trip-to-the-coast type of weather.  It’s coming . . . and it won’t be long!

The other part of this time of the year is — yeah, doing taxes.  Hey, the old saying is still true – and always will be true . . . . ‘there’s only two things in this life that are guaranteed, Death and Taxes!’  We’re not so sure that one doesn’t cause the other!  Now, you know that we’re no spring chickens, so the fact that we’ve been doing the ‘tax thing’ for a lot of years is no surprise.  But, it’s amazing how much MORE complicated it is to do a return today than even five years ago.  In fact, before 1996, we used to do taxes the ‘old fashioned’ way – we filled in the forms, BY HAND!  We know, we know – how archaic!  Computers and software have literally changed the way we do things, and filing taxes is one of those changes.  We can still remember waiting until April 15th . . . and driving our return to the Post Office where people were standing outside collecting returns to postmark them before the midnight deadline.  TurboTax and HR Block software have really changed the landscape.

Anyway, we digress – it was a Sunday to get some things done around the casa, and to relax and enjoy the beautiful sunshine.  It was also time to break out some wine . . .  and tonight, we’re staying home – where the buffaloes roamed . . . yep, tonight’s wine is from Texas.  Now, before you California, Australia, Chile, Argentina wine fans head for the exits, you need to know that there really are some good wines being made in the Lone Star State.  And, while tonight’s wine is a new variety for this wine maker, he is quickly carving a name for itself in  the state and in the country.  We first visited Brennan Vineyards when driving through Comanche, Texas back in 2009 on our way to Stephenville to visit family for nephew Ryan’s graduation.  They had two wines that stood out in our minds . . . a blend called, “Austin Red” and a Syrah.  Both of these wines weren’t your normal Texas wines that had all the taste of a chemistry lab and the color of Oklahoma clay.  Yeah . . . these wines had something, so when Jean brought home Brennan’s newest wine, a 2010 Buffalo Rhome from her sister weekend in Fredericksburg – they are part of a great little stop on 290 called 4.0 Wine, we knew that it was going to be something special.

Vinted in the Rhone-style of wine making, this wine opened beautifully.  It’s nose was fruity with just a hint of spiciness.  The first pour was lighter than we’d expected, but still a beautiful red color – not copper!!  This wine had a soft, elegant feel with a solid finish that seemed to last forever.  We enjoyed this wine after a good old fashioned burger and tater tots meal . . . it was the perfect ending to the day.  For a wine like this to catch our fancy, it has to have some muscle, and the flavor, structure, color and finish . . . all combine to make this a good purchase.  Available for less than $20 a bottle, you’ll find it to be a better value than other Texas wines with “better” names.  We’d suggest that you blow past the labels in the grocery store and find this wine either online or go to Comanche and sample in person – either way, you’ll walk away with a better Texas wine.  If you go to Comanche – make sure you meet Dr. Brennan – a super guy and he does hang out at 4.0 on a regular basis.

Now, for those who read this on a regular basis, you’ll note that we are still HUGE fans of Saddlehorn Winery outside Burton, Texas.  So, don’t think we’re only singling out one winery in the State.  We think that there are other wines that are worthy of review in the blog and we’ll strive to try them–in the meantime, if you think that there’s a Texas wine worthy of notation in our dwindling days of wine reviews . . . let us know.

Otherwise, continue to enjoy your favorite wine responsibly and remember to recycle whenever possible.