Our Story
Growing Texas Wine Since 2008
What began as an acquaintance as winemakers in the Hill Country became a collaboration between William “Bill” Blackmon and Chris Brundrett; one that’s based on a shared winemaking philosophy and a vision for what the Texas wine industry is capable of. Bill and Chris agree that great wines are not made, but grown in the vineyard. They also believe that wine should be inspired by the pleasure that is shared with an extended community of friends and family over a bottle. The creation of each new vintage depends greatly upon these two priorities.
Today, William Chris Vineyards continues to reach for a level of quality that represents the very best of Texas in each new vintage. It is with confidence in our process and pride in our team, community, and the special place we call home, that we inscribe each bottle of William Chris Vineyards wine with this greeting: We are pleased to share a piece of our world.
Our Winemaking Philosophy
When it comes to wine, location matters. That’s why William Chris joined with 23 of the leading wine regions of the world to support Truth in Labeling as a part of the global Wine Origins initiative. We support global efforts to uphold the integrity of each winegrowing region and their place names. And in 2021, we aided in achieving new legislation around labeling laws in the state of Texas so that wine consumers here know what makes a Texas wine, truly Texan.
Thoughtful winemaking begins with the harvest. Timing of each pick requires an understanding of chemistry coupled with a well-developed palate and a bit of good old-fashioned farmer’s intuition. Each harvest also depends heavily on mother nature as weather patterns have a substantial impact on the balance of acidity, sugar content, and flavor profiles in a finished wine. In our tasting room you’ll learn about what makes one vintage unique from the next.
PROCESSING
Each day multiple punchdowns are done by hand facilitating a delicate maceration process during fermentation. Once each wine has been barreled (or transferred to a concrete tank) to age, we practice minimal handling. As a result, most of our wines take on increasing complexity and depth for years to come.
AGING
Chris and his team are innovators in the Texas wine industry when it comes to aging techniques. In addition to oak barrels they also age wines in concrete tanks. Our concrete tanks allow for a controlled introduction of oxygen throughout the fermentation and aging processes. We are actually the first vineyard in the U.S. to have a Galileo Tank imported from Bordeaux, France exclusively for William Chris Vineyards.
Making wine only using Texas-grown grapes from farms located in Texas' American Viticultural Areas.
William Chris Vineyards Leadership
Bill Blackmon
Co-Founder
Chris Brundrett
Co-Founder & CEO
Andrew Sides
Founder of Lost Draw & Chief Operations Officer
Tony Offill
Head William Chris Wine Maker
William Chris Vineyards is a Proud Member of Texas Wine Growers. A 501(c)(6) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the integrity of Texas wine. We believe that Texas has the potential to be one of the great wine regions in the world, and we are committed to helping Texas winemakers achieve their full potential.