OUR GRAPES

Why is West Texas (Texas High Plains) a Great Place to Grow Grapes?

The semi-arid climate, elevation and our sandy-loam soil are what make West Texas (Texas High Plains) the perfect place to grow wine grapes. Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese varieties thrive in the Texas sun. The warm days and cool nights help maintain acidity and thicken the skins while concentrating the deep red color and flavor profiles in the berries. The longer growing season give the berries enough time to fully ripen. The grapevine roots run wide and deep in our sandy loam soil, over a caliche base, developing a strong root structure. These elements combined create a unique terroir for our grapevines . It has been said award winning wine is made in the vineyard.

Click the varietal below to learn more about our grapes.

Phillips Vineyard
1884 County Rd 480
Brownfield, TX 79316
(Physical Location)

Tony Phillips
806.470.3302

Madonna Phillips
806.470.3303

OUR STORY

OUR GRAPES

OUR PARTNERS

GATHERING TABLE

LOCATION

Muscat Blanc

Varietal : Muscat Blanc
Planted: 2016
Acres: 2.5
Origin: Greece / France

Characteristics:
Early bud break | Moderate to high vigor | Rapid growth | Early ripening | Moderate yield

Personality:
Muscat Blanc is like a teenager. When it breaks bud it’s ready to run and take on the world as fast as it can. Similar to teenagers it needs boundaries. One good canopy management pass and a few suckering passes along the way keep this vine in check. The leaves on this vine can get as large as a salad plate. Muscat Blanc is the varietal which produces large clusters and berries that taste like “wine in a berry”.

Teroldego

Varietal : Teroldego
Planted: 2023
Acres: 5
Origin: Italy / Northeastern Trentino-Alto Adige Region

Characteristics:
Mid season bud break | Moderate vigor | Late ripening | Low to moderate yield

Personality:
The thought that comes to mind with this varietal is “Dark and Moody”. This varietal produces berries that are very deeply pigmented, intensely fruit forward and surprisingly inky. Teroldego may very well be the “Italian Stallion” to the more feminine Sangiovese. It is very well suited for Guyot ( or VSP – Vertical Shoot Positioning ) trellis system we implement in our vineyard.

Alvarinho

Varietal: Alvarinho
Planted: 2023
Acres: 2.5
Origin: Portugal

Characteristics:
Early bud break | Moderately vigorous | Mid season ripening | Low to moderate yield

Personality:
Alvarhino is the Portuguese counterpart to the Spanish varietal, Albariño. Since planting in April of 2023, the vines have taken off and are growing very well. Alvarinho is very suited to handle the environment on the Texas High Plains.

Picpoul Blanc

Varietal: Picpoul Blanc
Planted: 2023
Acres: 2.5
Origin: France / Rhône

Characteristics:
Early bud break | Unknown growth habits | Mid to late ripening | Mid to high yield

Personality:
It is known as “Lip Stinger” in the wine world. We will hold off on giving a personality description right now but, if “Lip Stinger” is any indication of this vines personality I’m sure there is going to be some excitement in our future. A couple tidbits we have heard is Picpoul Blanc can throw clusters before leaves and is one of the longest ripening white varietals.

Mourvèdre

Varietal : Mourvèdre
Planted: 2019
Acres: 5
Origin: Spain / France

Characteristics:
Late bud break | Highly upright growth | Late ripening | Moderate yield

Personality:
You can’t think of Mourvèdre without thinking of the Mediterranean coast. Who doesn’t love laying on the beach with your head in the sun and your toes in the water. This is quintessential Mourvèdre. It loves its face in the sun and its feet in the water. Warm weather, good leafing and proper irrigation help produce a happy vine and fruit that matures to the perfect amount of jamminess and deep dark color.

Chenin Blanc

Varietal : Chenin Blanc
Planted: 2019
Acres: 2.5
Origin: France

Characteristics:
Early bud break | High vigor | Unruly growth | Early ripening | Moderate to high yield

Personality:
Chenin Blanc loves the summer season. This vine loves the sun. It loves the heat. It produces clusters and berries that scream all things summer. It packs in as much as it can so it can soak up all the summer time has to offer. You have to pay close attention to spacing and shoot positioning with this varietal. Shoot thinning and leaf pulling are very important in creating air flow and sunlight penetration. The berries are thin skinned and the clusters have a tendency to have bunch rot issues. Timely fungicide sprays are also crucial.

Graciano

Varietal : Graciano
Planted: 2019
Acres: 2.5
Origin: Spain

Characteristics:
Mid to late bud break | Moderate vigor | Upright growth | Late ripening | Low to moderate yield

Personality:
Graciano is our “Little Gem”. She reminds me of the Mexican folklore hat dancers with big colorful dresses. The leaves emerge at bud break with a fringe of red and the tiny developing primordial clusters are smudged with red. As you walk along the vine row you can’t help but notice the red tips on the tendrils. Graciano can dance with quite the flair but has a tendency to throw bull cane like shoots.

Cinsault

Varietal : Cinsault
Planted: 2016
Acres: 5
Origin: France / Rhône

Characteristics:
Mid to late bud break | Moderate to high vigor | Mid season ripening | Moderate to high yield

Personality:
“Ms. Cinsault” is a very stately vine. She takes her own sweet time to move, so to speak. She is very thoughtful and makes her moves when she is good and ready. She develops large and voluptuous clusters with supple berries. This vine requires attention to spacing, a good shoot thinning pass and a deliberate leaf thinning pass.

Roussanne

Varietal : Roussanne
Planted: 2016
Acres: 2.5
Origin: France / Northern Rhône

Characteristics:
Mid season bud break | Highly vigorous | Mid season ripening | Moderate yield

Personality:
This is the vine we lovingly call “Our crazy Aunt Roussanne”. She brings the fun and excitement to any party but is quite sophisticated. Just picture a well dressed lady with crazy red hair and fine jewels. She is holding a cigarette in one hand and a glass of white wine in the other. This vine produces a tremendous amount of lateral shoots which create quite a mess in the canopy structure. It requires a really good shoot thinning pass and several wire adjustments to keep the canopy maintained. This varietal produces extremely tight clusters with small berries. Timing is crucial with fungicide spray passes to avert bunch rot issues.

TOURIGA NACIONAL

Varietal : Touriga Nacional
Planted: 2015
Acres: 5
Origin: Portugal

Characteristics:
Early to mid bud break | Highly vigorous | Bush like growth | Mid to late ripening | Low yield

Personality:
Touriga Nacional is our “Beast”. This vine is full of power and energy requiring multiple canopy management passes to keep it under control. It’s leaves are thick and slightly rough. It produces small clusters with very small berries. These small berries are packed with tannin, flavor and bold color.

SANGIOVESE

Varietal : Sangiovese
Planted: 2015
Acres: 5
Origin: Italy

Characteristics:
Early bud break | Moderate vigor | Moderately upright | Late ripening | Moderate yield

Personality:
Sangiovese is feminine in nature. She has a delicate leaf and shoot structure. She produces beautiful clusters which are medium to dark red in color. Sangiovese is a vine that behaves just as you ask her to. She is a true beauty.

OUR GRAPES

Why is West Texas (Texas High Plains) a Great Place to Grow Grapes?

Phillips Vineyard 1884 County Rd 480 Brownfield, TX 79316 (Physical Location)

Tony Phillips 806.470.3302

Madonna Phillips 806.470.3303

OUR STORY

OUR GRAPES

OUR PARTNERS

GATHERING TABLE

LOCATION

Muscat Blanc

Teroldego

Alvarinho

Picpoul Blanc

Mourvèdre

Chenin Blanc

Graciano

Cinsault

Roussanne

TOURIGA NACIONAL

SANGIOVESE

Phillips Vineyard
1884 County Rd 480
Brownfield, TX 79316
(Physical Location)

Tony Phillips
806.470.3302

Madonna Phillips
806.470.3303