An Austin-based winery is closing down its local tasting room this month. C.L. Butaud will close its space at 415 E. St. Elmo Rd., Ste. 4F, on July 26.
Even though the tasting room is closing, C.L. Butaud itself will continue production. The team is "actively looking for a new home," a July 10 letter to social media and newsletter subscribers says. The letter, signed by married co-founders Brooke and Randy Hester, states that the move is because of real estate costs.
"When our lease came up for renewal, the increase in rent simply wasn't something we could responsibly take on as a small, independent winery," the letter says. "After a lot of thought, we made the difficult decision to step away from the space."
As operations in the space wind down, the business will continue hosting tastings, serving wines by the glass, and selling bottles to take home. After the space closes, customers will be able to shop for bottles online and at other local bottle shops. A list of restaurants serving C.L. Butaud wines is also available on the winery's website.
C.L. Butaud was founded in Austin in 2014. The Hesters already had experience making wine in California's Napa Valley, and they wanted to apply it to wines made entirely from Texas vineyards. They named their new winery after Randy's grandfather, Clet Louis Butaud, and created a Texas household name through many awards and media recognition.
"Thank you for being part of our story," the couple wrote in their letter. "Your support over the years has allowed a small Texas winery to do something pretty special, and we're incredibly grateful."
It's not surprising that rent is rising in South Austin's St. Elmo District, a former industrial area where warehouses have been turned into artsy rows of restaurants, creative studios, and other communal hubs like gyms and salons. The area is big for beverages; within a quarter of a mile from the C.L. Butaud tasting room are at least one other winery, a distillery, two breweries, two coffee shops, and several bars and restaurants.
