Review: Wines of Messina Hof, 2025 Releases
Earlier in 2025 we paid a visit to the Messina Hof winery in Central Texas, enjoying a fun harvest meal there with the winemaker and owners. Recently the operation sent us three recently released bottles for more formal review, including one under the Bonarrigo sub-label (Bonarrigo being the name of the family that runs the place). Let’s dive in.
2022 Messina Hof Cabernet Franc Private Reserve Texas High Plains – “Double barreled” in both French and American oak. Initially tight, tannic, and quite earthy, the wine takes its time to open up, at first constricted and charry with overtones of cherry pits and dried plums, later silky and slightly sweet, with notes of vanilla and a clearer maraschino quality. Gently nutty on the finish, evoking a hint of pistachio and walnut, the wine’s tannins quickly recede into the background. B+ / $35
2023 Messina Hof GSM Texas High Plains – A Rhone-style blend of 50% mourvedre, 30% syrah, and 20% grenache, at least in construction, this is a decidedly aggressive wine that bursts with black fruit — particularly macerated cherry and prune — plus ample milk chocolate. Loads of vanilla continue to punctuate the sweeter side of this wine, which feels far boozier than its 13.5% abv would suggest. A slightly saccharine finish provides a zin-like experience in the end that can approach a dessert-level sweetness if given enough time to develop. B- / $30
2024 Bonarrigo Heritage Select Texas High Plains – A blend of 60% trebbiano and 40% pinot grigio, this is a white wine that’s fruity and floral in just about equal proportions. White flowers meld with notes of lychee and tinned pears, a gentle acidity adding some tempering to keep the wine from spinning out of balance. There’s a curious pastoral quality to the finish, showcasing sage and thyme, both restrained but adding a lively and grassy herbaceousness to the wine that becomes increasingly evident as it warms up a bit. The slight spin is interesting but not distracting, and enough to place this in line with most California pinot grigio wines on the market. A- / $30
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