Enchanté: A Symbol of Small Moments and Monumental Changes
Enchanté, the very first wine that co-founders William Blackmon and Chris Brundrett ever made together, represents the small moments that always accompany the sharing of wine with others. When William Chris Vineyards was established with this first wine in 2008, they began the saying “thank you for sharing a piece of our world.” Today, this wine represents many things, from small moments to monumental ones, and the 2022 vintage of Enchanté is especially representative of the rapidly changing Texas Wine industry.
The Llano Uplift: A Unique Terroir
Every year since the inaugural 2008 vintage, the grapes for Enchanté have been sourced from an incredibly unique region in Texas called the Llano Uplift, which covers about 600,000 hectares in the northern half of the massive Texas Hill Country AVA. It is with pride that William Chris was able to see and support the submission of the petition for this area to become a protected AVA of its own. Through a membership with the Texas Wine Growers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and educating about 100% Texas wines, William Chris is able to take an active part in protecting the sense of place as advocated by the Wine Origins Alliance. Among their goals is to support and fund the creation of new AVAs, spur forward legislation that protects integrity and quality, and educate about the terroir of Texas.
The Terroir of the Llano Uplift: A Historical Gem
William Chris has been a leading producer in discovering the impact of terroir on wine grown in the Llano Uplift since their beginning. The region sits in the very heart of Texas and is an ancient granite dome that boasts the second oldest soil series in the United States. Over 1.1 billion years old, the igneous rock has already partially decomposed into the topsoil above, leaving quartz, llanite, and other minerals scattered across the vineyards planted there. This, along with an average elevation of 1,500 feet, gives the wines grown in the region a distinct expression of terroir, great structure, and a story that dates back to the region’s formation in the Precambrian era. Defining this area and protecting its unique qualities is especially important considering its placement in the Texas Hill Country AVA, which is primarily composed of sedimentary soils that greatly differ in wine style.
The 2022 Vintage: A Milestone for Texas Wine
Finally, the 2022 vintage is quite a special one, marking the very first year that Texas grapes harvested in that year and used for a wine labeled with an AVA, county, or single vineyard will be required to be 100% Texas by law. It was in 2015 that William and Chris decided to take on the fight for the taste of Texas amongst a sea of producers sourcing grapes or wine from outside of the state. After years of lobbying, they saw that “the Grape Compromise” was passed, providing clarity to consumers for AVA/county/vineyard-designated Texas wines that feature grapes from the 2022 vintage and after. While William Chris Vineyards has always been a producer of 100% Texas wine, the 2022 vintage marks a monumental shift for the Texas wine industry as a whole. Today, the design of the William Chris label is a tribute to truth in labeling, clearly displaying the crucial components that make the wine taste the way it does.
The Future of Enchanté and the Llano Uplift AVA
One vintage soon, the flagship Enchanté wine may be released with a newly designated appellation – the Llano Uplift AVA – and consumers will be able to recognize the unique character and depth of grapes grown entirely in the Llano Uplift.
