BACKGROUND

Bar Z Winery has been producing 100% Texas wines since 2004, long before it was a statewide trend. Owner and vintner, Monty Dixon, began making wine as a hobby in his basement in Morse, TX in the late 1990’s. A former rancher and forever cowboy, Monty named Bar Z Winery after his registered horse and cattle brand. After receiving accolades and success as an amateur winemaker, Monty hung up his saddle and went commercial with Bar Z in 2004. What began as a hobby transformed into an award-winning venture, juxtaposing science and technology with Monty’s signature artisan touch. When his operation began to outgrow the space he had in Morse, in 2010, Monty opened Bar Z Winery at its current location, nestled on the edge of Palo Duro Canyon. This is where you can often find Monty on the porch, gazing at a beautiful sunset and contemplating his next vintage.

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY

Winemaking starts in the vineyard. Bar Z Winery works closely alongside the vineyard owners, who work hard to provide us with the highest quality grapes from the Texas High Plains. High elevation, arid climate, cool nights, and soil minerality all lend themselves to the terroir that Monty so expertly highlights. While staying true to varietal, Monty creates expressive, unique wines and shies away from “over-working” the grapes. As a result, each vintage is special and has a life of its own, while still being undeniably Texan, much like Monty himself.

THE PROCESS

Once the grapes are crushed, we begin fermentation in egg-shaped tanks. The shape allows for better integration and circulation of the solids throughout, resulting in richer color, deeper tannins, and overall complexity. Throughout fermentation, the team completes multiple “pump-overs,” where the liquid is pumped from the bottom of the tank to the top, ensuring the liquid can extract all the flavors and aromas from the solid grape skins.  During active fermentation, this process is repeated multiple times every day.

When fermentation is complete, the wine is pressed to separate the solids from the wine. This is where gravity and time start to do their part. The solids that cause wine to be cloudy or hazy settle to the bottom of the tanks during storage. The wine is pumped off the settling solids and into a clean tank. This process, which is called racking, is repeated until the wine is completely clarified.

After racking is complete, the white wines age in stainless tanks until they are ready to be bottled.  Our red wines are ready for French Oak barrels, where they will rest and age until they are ready for bottling. The time it takes is not set by a calendar, but by the wine itself. Although it takes longer to make our wines, this hands-on process yields wines that have an Old-World style and quality.

OUR WINES

2017 PINOT NOIR: $18/bottle

BAYER FAMILY VINEYARDS – BARREL AGED FOR 30 MONTHS IN FRENCH OAK – 315 CASES PRODUCED

BAR Z WINERY HAS SPECIALIZED IN WORLD-CLASS PINOT NOIR SINCE 2012, WHEN A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BAYER FAMILY BLOSSOMED INTO A FLOURISHING PINOT NOIR PROGRAM. A DIFFICULT GRAPE FROM VINEYARD TO CELLAR, WE APPROACH PINOT NOIR WITH A BURGUNDIAN PHILOSOPHY TO MAKE LIGHT, ELEGANT PINOT NOIR WITH DELICATE COMPLEXITY.

2017 LIL’ HOSS: $12/bottle

NEWSOM VINEYARDS – BARREL AGED FOR 30 MONTHS IN FRENCH OAK – 520 CASES PRODUCED

BAR Z WINERY HAS BEEN PRODUCING CABERNET SAUVIGNON FROM NEWSOM VINEYARDS SINCE 2003. THIS WINE WAS CREATED TO BE AN APPROACHABLE TABLE WINE IN A LIGHTER STYLE THAN OUR TYPICAL CABERNET SAUVIGNON. IT IS EASY TO PAIR WITH MANY DISHES AND STANDS ALONE AS A GREAT WINE TO ENJOY FOR THE SAKE OF HAVING A SMOOTH GLASS OF WINE.

2014 IMP’S DELIGHT: $16/bottle

BAYER FAMILY VINEYARD – BARREL AGED FOR 5 YEARS IN FRENCH OAK – 140 CASES PRODUCED

THE RESULT OF A LONG-STANDING RELATIONSHIP WITH BAYER FAMILY VINEYARDS, AND AN EXTENSIVE BARREL AGING PROGRAM, THIS SMALL BOTTLE PACKS A BIG PUNCH! TEMPRANILLO GROWS WELL IN THE ARID CLIMATE AND HIGH ELEVATION OF THE TEXAS HIGH PLAINS AVA, AND WAS BARREL AGED FOR 5 YEARS, RESULTING IN A RIPE, COMPLEX WINE. BE SURE TO ASK MONTY ABOUT THE TRADEMARK TO THIS WINE!

2019 PINOT GRIGIO: $12/bottle

NEWSOM VINEYARDS – 170 CASES PRODUCED

OUR SECOND HARVEST OF PINOT GRIGIO FROM NEWSOM VINEYARDS, THIS WINE WAS PROCESSED IN EGG FERMENTERS, AGED IN STAINLESS TANKS, AND BOTTLED IN 2020. FOLLOWING OUR SUCCESS WITH THE BURGUNDIAN STYLE, THIS PINOT GRIGIO WAS APPROACHED WITH THE SAME ELEGANCE, RESULTING IN A FULLER BODY AND MORE TEXTURED MOUTHFEEL.

2018 RIESLING: $14/bottle

BAYER FAMILY VINEYARDS – 120 CASES PRODUCED

SINCE RIESLING IS VERY TERROIR EXPRESSIVE, WORKING WITH BAYER FAMILY VINEYARDS WAS A PERFECT FIT. OUR APPROACH WAS TO HIGHLIGHT THE NATURAL MINERALITY OF THE SOIL AND THE AROMATIC NATURE OF THE VARIETAL TO CREATE A PERFECT BALANCE FOR THIS OFF-DRY RIESLING. THIS WINE WAS FERMENTED IN EGG TANKS, TO INCREASE FLAVOR AND AROMA INTEGRATION, AND AGED IN STAINLESS TANKS UNTIL IT WAS BOTTLED IN 2020.

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