The Genesis of Texas Winemaking Excellence: The Collaboration of William Chris Vineyards
What began as an acquaintance between two Texan winemakers became a collaboration between William ‘Bill’ Blackmon and Chris Brundrett in 2008; a collaboration that was based on a shared winemaking philosophy and a vision of that which the Texas wine industry is capable. Chris and William sought to create a collection of wines with a genuine expression of Texas' distinctive grape-growing regions and single vineyards. Their approach is founded on the precept that great wines are not made, but grown. In 2022 and 2023 William Chris Vineyards was named a World's Best Vineyard, the first and only Texas winery listed for this honour. 
Hunter has been a flagship wine of the William Chris program since 2010. The wine celebrates the Texas High Plains AVA via Bordeaux varieties in compliment to the original flagship wine, Enchanté, which sources Bordeaux varieties from the Texas Hill Country AVA. The story of the name goes back to when co-founder Bill Blackmon was first planting grapes. As the story goes, Bill was meant to be a fifth-generation cotton farmer, but came home from college with the idea to grow wine grapes. He planted his first vineyard near his home in the Texas High Plains and dedicated it to his mother, Mary Ruth. The fruit set and the grapes began to ripen nicely. Mary Ruth's best friend Eunice Hunter became jealous! Eunice asked for her own vineyard and Bill obliged, planting Cabernet Sauvignon grapes at Hunter Vineyard in 1986 and Merlot grapes ten years later, both of which were used to make the Hunter flagship blend until Eunice and her husband Jacques passed away. Today, the Hunter wine lives on by sourcing grapes from several vineyards close by. When it comes to wine, location matters.
Championing Transparency and Legislation to Preserve the Authenticity of Texas Wine Origins
William and Chris joined with 23 of the leading wine regions of the world to support Truth in Labelling as a part of the global Wine Origins initiative; supporting global efforts to uphold the integrity of each wine-growing region and their place names. In 2021, they aided in achieving new legislation around labelling laws in the state of Texas so that wine consumers know what makes a Texas wine, truly Texan. Hunter celebrates the Texas High Plains AVA, proudly stating its origin on the label. Now, stating a county, AVA or single-vineyard on a Texas label means that the wine is made from 100% Texas fruit. The Texas High Plains AVA is responsible for producing the majority of grapes in Texas each year, surprising due to the fact that the area was once known as a part of the Great American Desert. While this area was once regarded as inhospitable to living things due to a lack of water and shelter, the region has since proven itself to be a significant agricultural centre for cotton, gourds, peanuts and grapes. The semi-arid region is situated on a vast, flat plain at 915–1,220m elevation with sandy loam and clay loam soils and low disease pressure."
