Pillar Bluff Vineyards

Pillar Bluff exceeded our expectations.
We didn’t think we’d get to visit since we arrived at Texas Legato at 4:30 and closing time is 5pm. The staff at Pillar Bluff were all too happy to have us even though it was 10 minutes until closing time.
The wines were tasty and unique. We had a good white port… yes a white port. My favorite wine was a Merlot and I have never bought a Merlot for my own consumption until I visited Pillar Bluff. The three of us settled on one of their white wines to consume outside at the circle gazebo. As we were enjoying our wine, the staff offered us some left over cherry cobbler from a pig roast they had the night before. Keep in mind its well past closing at this point.
Pillar Bluff is a wonderful family owned winery that any wine lover must stop in and experience.

While visiting Texas Legato we learned its owner is brother to the Pillar Bluff owner. For this reason we were able to get a tasting on a day that Pillar Bluff is normally closed. We were greeted with warmth as we walked in the door to a comfortable tasting room while the customary «winery dog» made sure we were greeted properly. While relaxing with us, the owner provided the story behind his winery and wines and we found we enjoyed the conversation as much as the tasting. This is much more common in smaller wineries where you get more background and personal attention than you would at a larger, or more corporate, winery.
We ended up liking several of their wines as they fit our taste preferences. Although we didn’t utilize it, Pillar Bluff has a beautiful gazebo for tasting that looks perfect when the weather is good.
Like many Texas wineries, you receive a good value for quality wines. The best part of this is Lampasas is on the route to Fredericksburg from DFW so it is very easy to catch on the trip down or on the return. I recommend this winery stop and, combining it with Texas Legato, you will be happy you did.

Since my last review they’ve added a lovely outdoor pavilion with plenty of seating that overlooks the lovely Texas hill country; it is the perfect place to continue enjoying their wine by the glass or they will uncork a bottle for you. As with my first visit, the staff is very welcoming and friendly. Their red wines (merlot and cab) have developed nicely and continue to impress.

not to be missed. wonderful wines and great people. i will definitely drive the hour to attend their events.

There aren’t many wineries where I like EVERY wine. This is one of the few. Gill is the winemaker, and he is so sweet and personable! It’s a really nice place to go relax, spend time with friends and family, and learn about wine!
His brother Bill owns Texas Legato winery, which is just down the street, so be sure to visit both!

The Traveling Winers on Texas Wine Trail
Another really fun and intimate vineyard is Pillar Bluff! We say intimate because it is only small in stature, but big in heart and soul. Gil, the owner, is a character! Very fun to chat with, patient (sorry we were so late, Gil!!), and educational to boot! Gill gave us a demonstration about the size and structure of grapes depending on how long they are kept on the vines, all the while using dear antlers (I think?!?) to illustrate his points. It was very educational and entertaining.
Turns out Gil is a retired Army helicopter pilot (Thanks for your service, Gil!) and started his vineyards over 17 years ago, and opening the winery 3 years after that. He currently runs the whole show at the tasting room with his trusty mate, Rudy, a VERY beautiful dog (not sure why we didn’t get any pictures). And of course, Gil’s wife is involved at some level, one of which we know about is making a scrumptious Blue Cheese Dip! Sorry, can’t give out the recipe. Promised Gil we would take it to the grave!
Definitely check out this quaint winery. Ask Gil to teach you about the timing of harvesting grapes AND to sell you the secret Blue Cheese Dip recipe! It is only $ 1 and well worth it!!! Yummm! Leave us a comment below and let us know how your visit went. We would love to hear from you!
Happy Trails!
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail

Loved this place. Second on our Month of Sundays Barrel Tasting. Great little place. Friendly folks. Great wines. Great 2010 Merlot. Not a huge operation. Very hands on. Really enjoyed meeting Gill the wine craftsman. Will be back.

Pulling up to Pillar Bluff’s nearly-​full unpaved parking lot, we saw a live band, BBQ, and a nice little group of people sitting on picnic tables in a giant outdoor gazebo. Attached to the huge plot of land was a small house, which was where the tasting room was. Their tasting room was pretty small, with a counter and 4 stools.
Our hostess was a really pretty, friendly blond lady, who gave everyone nothing but smiles. She did the tastings of 6 wines in order on the list. They had fresh jalapeño goat cheese and sun-​dried goat cheese with crackers, complimentary like the wine tasting. We tasted wines such as white Merlot (yes, it was white. It’s a specialty they only sell during Xmas), bor doe (yes, they spell it differently than how we do), port, and pinot grigio.
Dark chocolate chips were served with the port. :)
We did not walk out of there with wine, but our brother in law left with a bottle of white Merlot, which was a very sweet wine.
The goat wine was from Bradley Farms, a farm right next to the winery. We went there after wine tasting, to purchase some goat cheese ourselves. :)