PRESS FEATURES
THE WINE WRITE
For most people, making wine in the Napa Valley would be the dream. Most people aren't Texans.
Brooke and Randy Hester are. They left their home turf for Napa in 2006 with a ten year plan. Randy was going to learn wine production at the highest level. When he had command of those skills, the couple would return to the Lone Star State with an eye toward making world class wines from Texas fruit.
-Randy Smith, The Wine Write
Austin monthly
Sure, you’ve drank Texas wine, but have you really tasted Texas wine? It’s a question that wasn’t easy to answer until recently, when a new generation of winemakers started to take a hard look at the grapes, vineyard practices, and overall approach to producing wine in a state that is more than 20 percent larger than France.
As recently as 2006, it was so unusual to find producers focusing on all Texas-grown grapes that when C.L. Butaud founder Randy Hester first came across Flat Creek Estate, he was inspired to change careers. Seeing the potential in true Texas terroir, he went and trained in California’s Napa Valley, only returning a decade later to help “contribute to the conversation.”
-Chris Hughes, Editor
Austin360
Randy Hester of C.L. Butaud prefers to say that he makes “sustainably produced” wine.
“I want to know what’s pure,” he said. “I want a beautiful steak without a bunch of crap on it. If I make a bad steak, I can hide it with butter and seasoning. But the real skill is to find that raw material and treat it with finesse. That’s the best interpretation. That’s the kind of wine I drink, and the kind of wine I strive to make.”
-Arianna Auber, Austin360 by Austin American-Statesman
Forbes
2017 C.L. Butaud Tempranillo Texas High Plains: black and red berry, raisin, dusty earth, leather, smoke, black pepper; rich and round, silky tannins, long finish.
“It is no surprise Tempranillo has found a new world home in Texas.”
-Michelle Williams, Forbes
Tribeza
C.L. Butaud’s 100 percent Texas wines were new to me—and they were delicious.
-Karen O. Spezia, Tribeza.com
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF RESIDENTIAL CONCIERGE
This unique experience is quintessential Austin—providing you an opportunity to experience these exceptional wines. C.L. Butted was founded in 2014 by husband-and-wife Randy and Brooke Hester. Their mission was to create ultra-premium wines entirely from Texas vineyards, building on their experience working at some of the most acclaimed Napa Valley wineries. Their winemaking journey began there in 2006m, where they set out on a 10-year path of training, education and research under noteworthy winemakers and mentors. You will notice immediately their love of this region and their passion for winemaking… and you’ll taste it too.
-Travel and lifestyle writer Damon Banks, International Society of Residential Concierge
