A 'Grand Cru' Vineyard in the Davis Mountains
Alta Marfa is a small winery and vineyard estate in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, making unique, low-intervention wines with grapes grown by wonderful farmers across Texas and New Mexico — and on their own volcanic hillside outside Marfa. [^120^] [^116^] Founded by husband-and-wife team Ricky Taylor and Katie Jablonski, alongside Katie's sister Lauren, Alta Marfa produces just 1,000–2,000 cases annually of spontaneously fermented, unfiltered, additive-free wines that have redefined what Texas wine can be. [^116^] [^128^] Their own vineyard at 740 Blue Mountain Trail sits at 5,400 feet on volcanic, extremely rocky soils in the Texas Davis Mountains AVA — a high-desert terroir unlike anywhere else in the Lone Star State. [^121^] [^129^]
From Houston to the High Desert
Ricky Taylor used to live in Houston, but the call of the high desert was strong. In 2016, he started planning a vineyard in Marfa — a remote art town in West Texas that had captured his imagination. [^119^] He was joined by Katie Jablonski, a chef, and her sister Lauren, an artist — forming a trio that would become the creative engine of Alta Marfa. [^116^] Ricky brought a background in chemical engineering to winemaking; Katie brought her culinary sensibility; Lauren brought her artistic eye — together, they created something that feels as much like an art project as a winery. [^116^]
The name "Alta Marfa" speaks to elevation and place — "alta" for the high desert, "Marfa" for the town that has drawn artists and dreamers for decades. The property sits on Blue Mountain Trail in the Davis Mountains, about 30 minutes from Marfa, at an elevation of 5,400 feet — among the highest vineyard sites in Texas. [^133^] [^121^] The soils are volcanic, extremely rocky, and thin — rhyolitic tuff, basalt, and granite that force vines to struggle and concentrate their fruit. [^129^]
The first vineyard plantings were not immediately successful. The original grapes growing on the site disappointed, so the team grafted them over to more promising Portuguese varieties — a bold move that reflects their experimental, nothing-to-lose approach. [^116^] The vineyard is now planted to a red Portuguese field blend at Blue Mountain Trail and a white field blend at the nearby Grand Prix site, both farmed with no till and no spray. [^135^]
While their own vines mature, Alta Marfa sources fruit from a network of like-minded growers across Texas and New Mexico — all farmed with minimal intervention, no herbicides, and a shared commitment to soil health. [^135^] [^131^] This has allowed them to build a reputation and a following while their estate vineyard develops, creating wines that have already landed on nationally acclaimed lists and changed minds about Texas wine. [^126^]
"In our own vineyard we are learning to farm in a way that promotes soil health and minimizes degradation of the environment. We believe this approach to farming results in the most delicious wine, the longest-lived vines, and the happiest farmers."
— Alta Marfa Mission Statement
Volcanic Rocks, High Desert & The Davis Mountains AVA
The Texas Davis Mountains AVA was approved in 1998 and crowns the highest wine-growing terrain in the Lone Star State. [^129^] Centered around the volcanic Davis Mountains in Jeff Davis County, the AVA covers about 270,000 acres between 4,500 and 6,200 feet — altitudes that rival Argentina's Uco Valley and Colorado's Grand Valley. [^129^] Alta Marfa's vineyard sits at 5,400 feet on Blue Mountain Trail, on volcanic soils that are extremely rocky and thin. [^121^] [^135^]
The climate is not what most people imagine when they think of Texas wine. Summer highs hover in the mid-80s°F, while nights plunge into the mid-50s°F — a 30°F diurnal swing even in August. [^129^] Rainfall is 16–20 inches annually, delivered mainly in July–September monsoon bursts. [^129^] The thin mountain air at 5,000+ feet boosts ultraviolet exposure, thickening grape skins and deepening colour. Mountain breezes averaging 15mph keep mildew at bay but require windbreaks for young vines. [^129^]
The soils are derived from 35-million-year-old volcanic blasts — layers of rhyolite, andesite, and basalt that crumble into mineral-rich, fast-draining loams. [^129^] These rocks force deep rooting and impart a subtle iron and graphite note to the wines. High stone content stores heat, easing the chill after sundown and extending the ripening window. [^129^] It is a terroir that shatters the 'all Texas wine is hot-climate wine' myth — producing wines with tension, acidity, and a distinctly mountain character. [^129^]
Alta Marfa's own vineyard is young — the Blue Mountain Trail site is 2 years old, the Grand Prix site just 1 year — so the team has been patient, grafting over original plantings to Portuguese varieties better suited to the extreme conditions. [^135^] [^116^] The farming philosophy is simple: no till, no spray, promote soil health, minimise environmental degradation. [^131^] They are learning as they go, building a model for high-desert viticulture that others in the region can follow.
Alta Marfa's estate vineyard at 740 Blue Mountain Trail, Fort Davis. [^121^] Volcanic, extremely rocky soils at 5,400 feet elevation. [^135^] Currently planted to a red Portuguese field blend, grafted over from original plantings. No till, no spray. Not yet producing commercial wine — but the future of Alta Marfa's estate program.
A second Alta Marfa site at 5,000 feet on volcanic, loose soil. [^135^] Planted to a white field blend, just 1 year old. Also no till, no spray. Part of the family's long-term vision for estate-grown white wines from the Davis Mountains.
Sandy loam at 1,780 feet. Farmed by Dan McLaughlin — a focal point of the new Texas wine community. [^135^] [^122^] No herbicide, trying to get as close to organic as possible. Grapes: Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Merlot. The source of Alta Marfa's Super TX and Maderized wines.
Texas Hill Country AVA. Farmed by Erik & April Reyes. [^135^] No herbicide. 8-year-old vines. Grapes: Tempranillo, Roussanne. Source of fruit for Hyperspace and other limited releases. Old world-style orange wine from Fredericksburg terroir.
Spontaneous, Unfiltered & Additive-Free
Alta Marfa's winemaking is as minimal as it gets. All wines are spontaneously fermented with native yeasts, unfiltered, and free of additives — except sometimes a minimal addition of SO2 at bottling if the team thinks it will make the wine taste better. [^131^] There are currently no certified organic vineyards in Texas or New Mexico, so Alta Marfa works with what they have: honest fruit from farmers who share their values, and a cellar philosophy of non-intervention. [^131^]
The wines are made in small lots — 120 cases here, a few barrels there — with an improvisational spirit that reflects the team's creative backgrounds. Ricky's chemical engineering training gives him a deep understanding of fermentation science, but his approach is intuitive rather than formulaic. [^116^] Katie's culinary background informs the food program at the Marfa tasting room, where her dishes are designed to pair with the wines on hot desert days. [^116^] Lauren's art shows up on the labels — hand-drawn, playful, unmistakably Alta Marfa.
The range is eclectic and ever-changing. There is no flagship wine in the traditional sense — instead, each release is a response to the fruit available, the vintage conditions, and the team's creative impulses. [^138^] Some wines are cloudy, some have sediment, some are fortified and left outside in Texas heat for two years. [^131^] [^118^] The only constant is the commitment to honesty: what you see in the bottle is what came from the vineyard, with nothing hidden and nothing added that doesn't belong.
The tasting room in Marfa — part wine bar, part art space, part community hub — has been open just over a year and has already become a destination. [^116^] [^124^] It shares space with a morning café (espresso and pastries before 2:30pm), and the atmosphere is casual, creative, and deeply of its place. [^116^] Visitors come for the art, stay for the wine, and leave with a new understanding of what Texas can produce.
2022 Alta Marfa "Super TX" — 120 Cases, Three Regions
45% Merlot and 22% Tempranillo from Robert Clay Vineyards (Texas Hill Country AVA), 22% Tempranillo from Blue Mountain Trail Vineyard (Davis Mountains AVA), and 11% Tempranillo from High Cross Vineyard (Texas Hill Country AVA). [^115^] All three vineyards hand-harvested, destemmed, spontaneously fermented in polyethylene cubes, completed malolactic fermentation, aged in neutral oak 16 months, combined prior to bottling. 5ppm total SO2 added at bottling. [^115^] A full-bodied red with notes of ripe dark fruit, black cherry and spice — supple tannins, structured yet velvety. The best Tempranillo from three distinct regions in Texas, mixed with the crunchy intrigue of Merlot to create a complex big red. Label art by Maklvane. [^115^] This is Alta Marfa in a bottle: unconventional, collaborative, and unmistakably Texan.
The New Texas Wine & A Culture of Experimentation
Alta Marfa exists within a burgeoning community of young, creative winemakers who are redefining Texas wine from the ground up. Dan McLaughlin of Robert Clay Vineyards — located in Mason, Texas, population 2,000 — has become a focal point of this movement. [^122^] Through his open-mindedness, generosity, and practical nature, Dan has cultivated the perfect wine incubator: an army of aspiring grape growers and winemakers from the East Coast, West Coast, Texas and Europe, all living in camper trailers and tents for the summer harvest season, making their first wines with Robert Clay fruit. [^122^]
Ricky Taylor was part of this community before starting Alta Marfa. He knows the energy of creative, nothing-to-lose, fearless, bushwhacking adventure that defines the new Texas wine scene. [^122^] It is not about having the secret sauce or a wizard behind the curtain — it is about the opposite. Everyone is keenly aware that they are not experts; everyone knows they haven't yet figured out how to make wine in Texas, but they also all believe that no one else has figured it out either. [^122^] This humility, combined with fierce determination, is what drives the movement forward.
Alta Marfa's mission extends beyond their own bottles. "Our goal is to seek out, partner with, learn from, and help develop other farmers who share these same values," they state. [^131^] They are not just making wine — they are building a network of like-minded growers, sharing knowledge, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in a state where the wine industry is still young and the rules are still being written.
The future of Alta Marfa is rooted in the same principles that have defined it since 2016: low-intervention winemaking, sustainable farming, creative collaboration, and a deep respect for the high-desert terroir of the Davis Mountains. As their own vineyard matures and begins producing estate fruit, the wines will only become more expressive of this unique place. For now, they are a testament to what is possible when curiosity, creativity, and commitment converge — in one of the most unlikely wine regions on earth.
"We are a small winery making unique wines with grapes grown by wonderful farmers in Texas and New Mexico, as well as the winery's own grapes grown in the Texas Davis Mountains AVA."
— Alta Marfa
The Alta Marfa Range
Alta Marfa produces small quantities of spontaneously fermented, unfiltered, low-intervention wines from fruit sourced across Texas and New Mexico — and soon, from their own Davis Mountains vineyard. [^120^] The range is eclectic, ever-changing, and deeply reflective of the team's creative impulses and the unique terroirs they work with. All wines are vegan, unfiltered, and free of additives except minimal SO2 when deemed necessary. [^131^] Prices are approximate and in USD.
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Alta Marfa Winery
Alta Marfa Winery is located in the high desert of West Texas. They operate both a vineyard in the Texas Davis Mountains AVA and a public-facing winery in the town of Marfa.
Winery Address: 120 N. Austin St, Marfa, TX 79843
Public Access: The winery and tasting room are open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You can check their social media for the most up-to-date hours.
Retailers & Distributors
Alta Marfa wines are available at a variety of retailers, particularly in Texas and Colorado, as well as on their website.
Marfa, TX
Bordo: http://www.bordomarfa.com/
Margaret's in Marfa: https://www.margaretsinmarfa.com/
Texas (other cities)
Travis Heights Wine & Spirits (Austin): https://travisheightswine.com/
Geraldine's Natural Wines (Austin): https://shopgeraldines.com/
Pogo's Wine & Spirits (Dallas): https://www.pogoswine.com/
Beverly's Bistro (Dallas): https://beverlysdallas.com/
US Natural Wine (Online): https://usnaturalwine.com/
Colorado
Joy Wine & Spirits (Denver): https://www.joywine.com/
Boulder Wine Merchant (Boulder): https://boulderwine.com/