Cornelious Estate

For centuries, Tempranillo has been made in Spain as
a blended wine. The primary regions producing these
wines are the famous River Valleys of the Rioja and
the Ribera del Duero. The earthy qualities of the
Tempranillo grown there is valued for its compatibility
with other varieties which yield exceptionally complex
wines designed to compete with the more famous and
larger French Bordeaux wine industry.

Given the experience Dan Gatlin had growing up in the
beverage industry and as a wine buyer, his first
inclination when working with Tempranillo in Texas was
to produce a blended wine, in the tradition of Spain.
However, at the same time, the Spanish industry was
undergoing a small revolution. A new generation of
young winemakers less concerned with the River
Valley traditions began to produce 100% Tempranillo
wines from areas not traditionally cultivated. The result
became a world-wine phenomenon, and breathed new
life into Spanish wines as these immensely popular
offerings spread into the marketplace.

Thus, our highly-acclaimed "Cornelious" 100%
Tempranillo was first released with the 2005 vintage. It
has become so popular now that many people only
know Inwood Estates for this wine.

In Texas we produce fruit in very high mineral soils
much the same as do the Europeans. Under these
conditions, most varieties tend to be earthy and favor
blending to achieve balance and complexity. However,
there are some famous exceptions and they often
occur with "red-fruit" varieties (pinot noir, tempranillo
and sangiovese [see our page on our
Tempranillo-Cabernet] ). In the case of our
"Cornelious", it became evident that this wine was to
be a very different wine than our Tempranillo-Cabernet
blend, being very soft and velvety as opposed to the
more muscular and structured wine with Cabernet
added.

The result is a wine that is almost Pinot-style, but
more inky and extracted than Pinot. Its large, powerful
nose and mouthfeel reflect the extended ripening. The
red-fruit flavors of this wine favor cherries/raspberries
with a secondary layer of vanilla. Inwood Estates uses
only French Oak with all its wines.

Unlike most Spanish Tempranillo today, Inwood
Estates does not micro-ox its wines. For a thorough
understanding of what this means, please see
"Articles by the Winemaker: Inwood and Micro-Ox."