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Pleasant Hill Winery an icon in Blue Bell Country
By Ron Saikowski
Houston Wine Walk
This week in our visits at wineries around the Houston area we will visit an 11-year-old winery in the city that Bluebell Ice Cream made famous.
BOB and JEANNE COTTLE opened their winery in April 1997 on a hill top in Brenham. Their winery was the 22nd winery in Texas’ fledgling wine industry. These two transported Yankees met at Marquette University and moved to Houston for jobs. Bob was a mechanical engineer designing oil rigs with Jeanne teaching high school Spanish.
Their wine-making started in college where they made cherry wine. Jeanne’s grandfather also made wine and gave the Cottles his wine-making equipment when he retired. This unexpected gift further motivated Bob and Jeanne to make wine. Their dream of owning a winery began to become a reality around 1988 when the Cottles purchased 40 acres in Brenham for planting their grapes. In the process, they also set up a mobile home for their weekend excursions to their “wine country.” Bob quit his “day job” and went to Grayson College in North Texas for his Bachelor’s Degree in Oenology (wine making). Grayson College has recently teamed up with Texas A & M University for a Master’s Degree in Oenology at the Commerce campus near Grayson College.
This winery overlooks their vineyard of Blanc du Bois and Lake Emerald grapes. Those grape varieties were carefully selected using trial and error by Bob Cottle for their resistance to Pierce’s Disease, a disease which is causing serious problems in climates with mild winters. Bob and Jeanne along with their son Jason have built their winery into a Texas icon, famous for their award-winning wines made from Blanc du Bois grapes.
The Cottles built their tasting room and gift shop on top of their winery operations which allowed them to build a large patio deck overlooking their vineyard valley. Friday evenings are “deck evenings” where the public is encouraged to sit on the deck, sip wine, and see the sun setting over the valley vineyards.
Bob has planned ahead in expanding his winery with the barrel aging room to be extended in a circle below ground to utilize the earth’s cool, constant temperatures to age his wines in controlled conditions. The Cottles are planning their “ultimate home” on the next ridge. This home is planned to be GREEN, utilizing concepts to minimize their “carbon footprint” and energy usage.
Bob Cottle also has a vineyard near Fort Davis in the west Texas Mountains where he grows Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc Grapes. The Cottles make a variety of wines from their grapes and locally grown grapes. Their wines include a slightly sweet Blanc du Bois, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, fruity blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel grapes, and several different Port Wines.
Wine Lovers will enjoy these events:
Dec. 31 – New Year’s Eve Gala at Messina Hof Winery in Bryan. This is a first class event held inside a winery to celebrate the New Year, complete with dinner, wines, and a play. For more information, go to www.messinahof.com.
Jan. 17 – SHAKE RUSSELL in private concert at the Bernhardt Winery with limited seating to 40. This event includes a four course European-style meal with a luscious wine with each of the courses. Cost is only $85 per person. For more information, call (936) 894-9829
Jan. 31, Feb. 7 and Feb. 28 – Vineyard seminar at the BERNHARDT WINERY with hands-on experiences in the BERNHARDT VINEYARDS under the watchful eye of JERRY BERNHARDT. This seminar is a MUST if you are interested in starting your own vineyard. Seminar fee of $30 per person includes a luncheon paired with Bernhardt Wines.
Kiepersol Estates 2005 Texas Cabernet Sauvignon is my choice for this week’s red wine. This wine was made with grapes harvested near Tyler and vinified by MARNELLE De WET DURRETT (one of Texas’ women wine makers) to produce a big red wine with notes of black currant and black cherry. This “Texas Red” has tones of oak from being aged 15 months in oak barrels. This wine pairs great with a grilled Texas steak. This wine is available at SPEC’S Liquors and WESTERN WINERY Store in Montgomery.
My choice for a white wine is Messina Hof 2006 Riesling Father & Son Cuvee. The Riesling grapes were grown on the High Plains of Texas. This unoaked wine is semi-sweet with 2-percent residual sugar with a robust bite of Granny Smith Apples in each glass. This wine would pair nicely with your Christmas deserts and is available at H-E-B Grocery Stores, Kroger’s Grocery Store, and SPEC’S Liquors.
Do you have wine-related news? E-mail Ron at rsaikowski@comcast.net.
PLEASANT HILL WINERY STATS
Location: 1441 Salem Road, Brenham, TX 77833
Phone: (979) 830-VINE
Website: www.pleasanthillwinery.com
Owners: Bob and Jeanne Cottle
Winery size: 40 acres in Brenham with vineyards in West Texas mountains
Established vineyards: 1998
Winery established: April 1997
BOB and JEANNE COTTLE opened their winery in April 1997 on a hill top in Brenham. Their winery was the 22nd winery in Texas’ fledgling wine industry. These two transported Yankees met at Marquette University and moved to Houston for jobs. Bob was a mechanical engineer designing oil rigs with Jeanne teaching high school Spanish.
Their wine-making started in college where they made cherry wine. Jeanne’s grandfather also made wine and gave the Cottles his wine-making equipment when he retired. This unexpected gift further motivated Bob and Jeanne to make wine. Their dream of owning a winery began to become a reality around 1988 when the Cottles purchased 40 acres in Brenham for planting their grapes. In the process, they also set up a mobile home for their weekend excursions to their “wine country.” Bob quit his “day job” and went to Grayson College in North Texas for his Bachelor’s Degree in Oenology (wine making). Grayson College has recently teamed up with Texas A & M University for a Master’s Degree in Oenology at the Commerce campus near Grayson College.
This winery overlooks their vineyard of Blanc du Bois and Lake Emerald grapes. Those grape varieties were carefully selected using trial and error by Bob Cottle for their resistance to Pierce’s Disease, a disease which is causing serious problems in climates with mild winters. Bob and Jeanne along with their son Jason have built their winery into a Texas icon, famous for their award-winning wines made from Blanc du Bois grapes.
The Cottles built their tasting room and gift shop on top of their winery operations which allowed them to build a large patio deck overlooking their vineyard valley. Friday evenings are “deck evenings” where the public is encouraged to sit on the deck, sip wine, and see the sun setting over the valley vineyards.
Bob has planned ahead in expanding his winery with the barrel aging room to be extended in a circle below ground to utilize the earth’s cool, constant temperatures to age his wines in controlled conditions. The Cottles are planning their “ultimate home” on the next ridge. This home is planned to be GREEN, utilizing concepts to minimize their “carbon footprint” and energy usage.
Bob Cottle also has a vineyard near Fort Davis in the west Texas Mountains where he grows Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc Grapes. The Cottles make a variety of wines from their grapes and locally grown grapes. Their wines include a slightly sweet Blanc du Bois, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, fruity blends of Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel grapes, and several different Port Wines.
Wine Lovers will enjoy these events:
Dec. 31 – New Year’s Eve Gala at Messina Hof Winery in Bryan. This is a first class event held inside a winery to celebrate the New Year, complete with dinner, wines, and a play. For more information, go to www.messinahof.com.
Jan. 17 – SHAKE RUSSELL in private concert at the Bernhardt Winery with limited seating to 40. This event includes a four course European-style meal with a luscious wine with each of the courses. Cost is only $85 per person. For more information, call (936) 894-9829
Jan. 31, Feb. 7 and Feb. 28 – Vineyard seminar at the BERNHARDT WINERY with hands-on experiences in the BERNHARDT VINEYARDS under the watchful eye of JERRY BERNHARDT. This seminar is a MUST if you are interested in starting your own vineyard. Seminar fee of $30 per person includes a luncheon paired with Bernhardt Wines.
Kiepersol Estates 2005 Texas Cabernet Sauvignon is my choice for this week’s red wine. This wine was made with grapes harvested near Tyler and vinified by MARNELLE De WET DURRETT (one of Texas’ women wine makers) to produce a big red wine with notes of black currant and black cherry. This “Texas Red” has tones of oak from being aged 15 months in oak barrels. This wine pairs great with a grilled Texas steak. This wine is available at SPEC’S Liquors and WESTERN WINERY Store in Montgomery.
My choice for a white wine is Messina Hof 2006 Riesling Father & Son Cuvee. The Riesling grapes were grown on the High Plains of Texas. This unoaked wine is semi-sweet with 2-percent residual sugar with a robust bite of Granny Smith Apples in each glass. This wine would pair nicely with your Christmas deserts and is available at H-E-B Grocery Stores, Kroger’s Grocery Store, and SPEC’S Liquors.
Do you have wine-related news? E-mail Ron at rsaikowski@comcast.net.
PLEASANT HILL WINERY STATS
Location: 1441 Salem Road, Brenham, TX 77833
Phone: (979) 830-VINE
Website: www.pleasanthillwinery.com
Owners: Bob and Jeanne Cottle
Winery size: 40 acres in Brenham with vineyards in West Texas mountains
Established vineyards: 1998
Winery established: April 1997
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