 2015 Keeling Schaefer Farmers Mourvedre This past week I had the pleasure of tasting the 2015 Keeling Schaefer FarmersMouvedre. Mouvedre is perhaps a grape that many new to wine have only tasted in a GSM blend, but Arizona is proud of our Mouvedre and we produce many single varietal Mourvedres wines as well as GSMs. The color of this wine was a very dark garnet and had a tantalizing aroma of wood smoke. Other notes in the nose were mesquite, pipe tobacco, sage and plumb. On the palate were delicious flavors of dried cranberries, plumb, cassis, and more wood smoke. The ABV of the 2015 Mourvedre was 14.2% and the finish lasted for about 23 seconds. This Mourvedre was quite bold and once it opened up, showcased extreme complexity.
My mother and I had the good fortune of having opened up a 2015 Spanish Monastrell, (the name for Mouvedre in Spain) the night before and decided to try the two side by side. The Soul Monastrell from Jumilla had won 91 points from James Suckling and was a well-received wine. However, upon tasting the 2015 Soul Monastrell next to the 2015 Keeling Schaefer Mouvedre, the Monastrell seemed a little one-note. The Monastrell was pleasurable drinking, but the one flavor that over powered everything in the wine was, baking vanilla. When compared to the complexity and multitude of flavors the Keeling Schaefer Mouvedre showcased, the Monastrell just seemed like easy drinking. Arizona wine is still a small-production scene. We are walking behind the footsteps of giants when it comes to how MUCH we produce, but we are never dwarfed when it comes to WHAT we are producing! Mimi Mahl, guest blogger #mourvedre, #monastrell, #keelingschaefer, #arizonawine, #spanishwine, #GSM, #rhonevarietals, #mimimahl, #farmersmourvedre, #cochisecounty
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 Laramita Cellars 2018 Malvasia Bianca Arizona produces incredible Malvasia Bianca and last night I was able to enjoy a fabulous Malvasia that was great like its AZ counterparts. The 2018 Laramita Cellars Malvasia Bianca was a magnificent example of the high quality Malvasia that Arizona produces. The nose was rife with notes of stone fruit, elderflower, gardenia, and green apple. The palate also held stone fruit notes as well as hints of lychee, honeydew, and tropical citrus. The flavor was a refreshing, absolute delight to enjoy and though the ABV was 13.8 % the alcohol was well integrated into the wine. The finish lasted about 20 seconds; it came in like a wave of abundant flavor and receded promptly. The 2018 Laramita Malvasia Bianca paired extremely well with the Alaskan Pollock fillet in a white wine, cilantro, and garlic sauce.
Malvasia Bianca is a Mediterranean varietal originally believed to come from the island of Crete, however according to the Swiss grape geneticist, Dr. Jose’ Vouillamoz, the Malvasia Bianca that we grow in Arizona actually has its origins from predominately Italy and California with no Greek origins. Malvasia Bianca is an ancient and well-renowned grape that is even mentioned by the name Malmsey in Shakespeare’s Richard III. Arizona is a noted producer of Malvasia. In fact, if you look up regions that produce Malvasia, Wikipedia does indeed mention AZ, which is a great feat considering our small production tendencies in this State. If you try Arizona Malvasia, I can pretty much guarantee you will be swept away and become biased toward Bianca! Mimi Mahl, Guest blogger #Malvasia, #Malvasiabianca, #drjosevouillamoz, #Italiangrapevarieties, #laramitacellars, #AZwine, #Arizonawine, #verdevalleywinetrail, #verdevalleywinecountry, #azwinerocks, #arizonavineyards, #thingstodoinsedona  2013 Golden Rule Cobra Loma I recently had the pleasure of trying Golden Rule Vineyard’s 2013 Cobra Loma. This beautiful blend of Syrah, Grenache, Petite Sirah, and Mourvedre checked all the boxes I’m looking for when searching for a complex wine. Its garnet hue had traces of mahogany and the nose was extremely aromatic. Cobra Loma had lovely notes of black cherry, cedar smoke, and anise on the nose, while the palate displayed flavors of raisins, earth, cassis, cocoa, red bell pepper and a 27 second finish. There was so much going on in my glass that catching all the flavors took quite a few sips… well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
When enjoying beef many individuals’ go-to is Cabernet Sauvignon, however I often enjoy Syrah with my steak. I find the meaty quality that many Syrah-dominant wines showcase pairs as well with beef as peanut butter pairs with chocolate. This wine, being predominantly Syrah, paired very well with the beef stew I enjoyed for dinner that night. In the end, I found Golden Rule Vineyard’s Cobra to be quite striking! Mimi Mahl, Guest Blogger  Wine Grapes Many people have had the opportunity to try delicious wine varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, or Viognier, but how often do you have the opportunity to sample the grapes they are made from? One of the advantages of having a local wine college which teaches enology (the study of making wine) and viticulture (the study of growing the vines), is sampling local wine grape varieties during harvest time. When I visit the Southwest Wine Center during harvest and my wine tour guests sample the wine grapes, they are amazed at the delicious fruit! It also astonishes them how different the grapes taste from the wine. Our Wine College grows a variety of unique wine grapes including Refosco, Malvasia Bianca, Tannat, Piquepoul Blanc, Viognier and Barbera. It’s a wonderful time of year to be in Arizona and have the chance to sample our local wine grapes.
#winegrapes, #verdevalleywinetrail, #enology, #viticulture, #azwwine, #arizonawinegrapes, #malvasiabianca, #viognier, #Tannat, #Piquepoul Blanc, #Refosco, #barbera, #southwestwinecenter  Birds & Barrels 2016 Petit Verdot One of the newer vineyards in the Kansas Settlement of Wilcox, Arizona is Birds and Barrels; founded in 2015 by Chad and Monica Preston. The goal at Birds and Barrels is to “produce high-quality, hand-crafted wine.” One of their early releases was a 2016 Petit Verdot with a beautiful deep garnet color. The nose on their 2016 Petit Verde showcased lovely aromas of currant, earth black cherry and raspberry. On the palate there were additional notes of spice, blueberry, plum, chocolate and cedar. This dry red wine had a medium to full body with a 25 second finish. The wine had 13.4% alcohol by volume. Petit Verdot is used in Bordeaux, France primarily as a minor blending grape and it ripens late. It grows exceptionally well in Arizona since it has the ability to ripen fully and is fast becoming one of my Arizona favorite grape varieties. If you’re in the Wilcox Bench area, stop by and sip delicious wine on their beautiful patio.
#birdsandbarrels, #petitverdot, #bordeaux, #kansassettlement, #wilcoxarizona, #wilcoxbench, #ArizonaWine, #Arizonavineyards, #WilcoxAVA, #wilcoxwinery  2014 Keeling Schaefer Mourvedre I just love Mourvèdre, which is used as a blending grape in Southern Rhone and known as Monastrell in Spain. I seek out different vintages and winemakers both from Arizona and across the world. Arizona Mourvèdres typically have strong pepper notes, however the Keeling Schaefer 2014 Mourvèdre was different from many of Arizona’s Mourvèdres and others they produce. These grapes are grown in Southern Arizona at a 5000 foot elevation in their Rock Creek Vineyard by the Chiricahua Mountains, (one of my favorite hiking areas in Arizona with gorgeous blue spruce trees!) This 100% Mourvèdre had a beautiful garnet color with a touch of mahogany. The nose showcased lovely notes of plum, prune, earth and spirits. The palate offered additional notes of cassis, raisin, chocolate and baking spices, but surprisingly, not the usual pepper notes you’d expect from an Arizona Mourvèdre. This delicious dry red wine from Cochise County, was complex with a medium body and had a finish of around 18 seconds. It had 15.4% ABV, was very food friendly and thoroughly enjoyable! You don’t have to keel over to try this delightful Arizona wine; their wines are available at many locations across the state including their tasting room in downtown Wilcox!
#keelingSchaefer, #mourvedre, #monastrell, #Mataro, #Arizonawine, #ArizonaMourvedre, #ChiricahuaMountains, #RockCreekVineyard, #CochiseCounty, #WillcoxArizona, #PearceArizona, #SouthernRhone, #Spain  2013 Balletto Gewurztraminer Gewurztraminer is an extremely aromatic white grape and is renowned in Alsace, France and Germany. We’re starting to see more dry Gewurztraminers in our state and in other parts of the world.
This week, I had the opportunity to try the 2013 Estate grown, Balletto Gewurztraminer from Russian River Valley. The Balletto’s like many Arizona farmers utilize sustainable farming practices. The color was a beautiful pale lemon and the wine had 13.7% alcohol by volume. The wine offered lovely aromas of gardenia flowers, lychee, green apple and apricots. The palate also showcased tropical flowers, coconut and salted caramel. The finish was around 28 seconds. This delightful wine was very enjoyable on it’s on however, it needs to be paired with something mild due to its powerful floral flavors. While there are many bottles of perfume out there, this is the only one I would choose to drink!  2017 Hart Arneis Last week we had a blind wine tasting with wines from Temecula. Four whites and four reds were showcased. The favorite of the evening was the 2017 Arneis from Hart Winery. For those who have never tasted Arneis, it is an important white grape from Piedmont, Italy and one of my favorites.
On the nose we found delightful aromas of grass, tropical fruit, flowers and almonds. On the palate there were additional flavors of honeysuckle, hazelnut, and dried apricot. This dry white wine had a beautiful pale straw color, a 23 second finish and 11.5% alcohol by volume. There were 326 cases produced. Arizona is also growing Arneis, so if you can’t make it to Northern Italy or the lovely Hart Winery in Temecula, I hope you have the opportunity to try some local Arneis.  The Mayor of Wine, Steve Bailey Last week, I attended a VOCA wine and food pairing event at the Redstone Grill with the Mayor of Wine, Steve Bailey. Steve is a Certified Sommelier and is WSET 3 certified.
The lineup started with a delightful sparkling Brut CAVA from Campo Viejo, Spain. Next was the Canoe Ridge Pinot Gris from Washington State. After that came the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Viognier Blend from Napa Valley, California, my favorite of the evening. The reds then started off with the Provisioner Red Blend from Arizona, the Wente Southern Hill Cabernet from Livermore, California and finally the Arizona Stronghold “Mangus” Red Blend, a combination of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet. I learned that “Mangus” was the Brother in Law of Cochise, a famous leader and Chief of the Chiricahua Apache tribe. Cochise County is where many of our Arizona wines hail from. AZ Stronghold uses a variety of Native American names for their wines. Tazi, a Stronghold white favorite, is named after Cochise’s older son. The food pairing done buffet style, started with a delicious dilled, creamed salmon, then onto assorted cheeses and crackers, a cucumber and ham canopy, shrimp with cocktail sauce and beef skewers. There were delicious eclairs and mini cheesecakes for dessert. Most of the food pairings went well as they appeared with the above wines, however the skewers being on the saltier side, did struggle with the Mangus blend and not bring out its best flavors. If you ever have the opportunity to attend one of these wine pairing evenings with the Mayor, I’d definitely recommend it!  2017 Chateau Tumbleweed Picpoul Last year I blogged about the 2016 Picpoul Blanc from Chateau Tumbleweed. This week I had the opportunity to try the 2017 vintage which was also sourced from the Cimarron vineyard. The 2017 has 11.8 % alcohol; a little less than the 2016. The color was a very pale lemon and like the 2016 had a very soft mouth feel especially since it was fermented and aged in stainless steel. The acidity was surprisingly mellow since Picpoul, a.k.a. “the lip stinger” can frequently be highly acidic. It was fermented for 35 days in stainless steel and was aged in stainless for an additional 6 months. The residual sugar was .75%.
The nose had nice aromas of stone fruits such as apricots and peaches, minerals and limestone notes. The flavor profile had just a tad of sweetness with notes of stone fruits, eucalyptus and a hint of butterscotch. It had a medium body and around a 20 second finish. I paired it with a delicious garlic chicken and was pleased with the combination. Just 59 cases of this delightful wine were produced so we’re all breathlessly waiting for our lips to be stung in 2018!  Celebrate International Grenache Day Today, September 21, 2018 is International Grenache Day. The Grenache grape is originally from Spain where it is called Garnacha and is frequently made into a single varietal wine. In Italy, it is known as Cannonau, and was also found early on in Sardinia. In the Southern Rhone area of France, it is called Grenache and is used as a blending grape in a Cotes du Rhone, where it is normally blended with Syrah and Mourvedre, though it can be blended with any of the approved grapes in the area. There is Grenache Noir, Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris. It is also used in the making of a lovely Rose’ from the Tavel appellation in Southern Rhone blended with Cinsault.
You’ll find quite a bit of it in Australia and California. I recently listened to a wonderful podcast from the Guild of Sommeliers talking about Rhone Varietals in Paso Robles. They are producing Grenache as a standalone variety and having quite a bit of success. In Arizona you’ll see a lot of Grenache. Though it is often used in a GSM blend (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre), it is frequently produced as a single varietal wine and also as a Rose’. Depending on where it’s grown, it can have amazing aromas and flavors including cherry, vanilla, jam raspberry, strawberry, pepper and other spices. So crack open a bottle of Garnacha, a Cotes du Rhone, a GSM or an Arizona 100% Grenache and celebrate!  I’m excited to announce our Exclusive, Private, Helicopter Winery Tour with Sun State Helicopter Tours, LLC!
Sun State and Sedona Wine and Beer Tours are rated 5 Stars on TripAdvisor! Fly over majestic Sedona with Sun State Helicopters, departing from and returning to Sedona's beautiful airport in the clouds. Then tour by private ground transportation with Sedona Wine and Beer Tours by Sedona Delivers, LLC, visiting a variety of vineyards or remote tasting rooms tailored to your taste preferences. Sample the best wines along the Verde Valley Wine Trail and beyond. Your aerial tour of the Verde Valley is designed to give you a comprehensive perspective for understanding the size & layout of each winery, their grape varieties, and terroir as well. Experienced, professional pilots take you over the Verde Valley’s best wineries & point out the red rock formations along the way. Travel from the Scottsdale Airport, and alternative landing locations can be arranged for an additional fee. This unique wine tour combination is the experience of a lifetime! Visit https://www.sunstateheli.com to learn more or call Sun State Helicopter Tours at (480) 993-3223. To book your private, customized wine tour call Sedona Wine and Beer tours at 928-963-1866 or visit: https://www.sedonadelivers.com/helicopter-tour-combo.html to learn more.  Wine glass To celebrate National Wine Day (there is also a National Wine Drinking Day), I decided to list many of the wine grape varieties we are now growing in Arizona. The list is extensive and by no means complete. So here we go:
Aglianico, Albarino, Aleatico, Alicante Bouschet, Arinarnoa, Arneis, Assyrtiko, Barbera, Blaufrankisch, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonel, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Colombard, Counoise, Dolcetto, Graciano, Grenache, Gros Verdot, Lulienga, Malbec Bianca, Malvasia, Marsanne, Marselan, Merlot, Mission, Montepulciano, Mourvedre, Muscat Canelli, Muscat of Alexandria, Nebbiolo, Negroamaro, Petit Manseng, Petit Sirah, Petit Verdot, Picpoul, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Pinotage, Refosco, Riesling, Roussane, Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Sauvignon Blanc, Seyval Blanc, Souzao, Symphony, Syrah, Tannat, Tempranillo, Verdelho, Vermentino, Vidal Blanc, Viognier, Vranac, and Zinfandel. Enjoy National Wine Day and I hope you get to try many Arizona wines and our unique wine varietals.  2017 Clear Creek Viognier Viognier originates from the Northern Rhone Valley in France and has been gaining popularity worldwide in the last few decades. It is also the state signature grape of Virginia. However, an Arizona Viognier from Chateau Tumbleweed just won the top award in the Country for Viognier at the San Francisco Chronicles Wine Competition!
Arizona has a wonderful variety of Viognier and today I’m reviewing the 2017 Viognier from Clear Creek Vineyards in Camp Verde. Clear Creek recently won the Yavapai County SBDC 2018 Success Award. All grapes used in Clear Creek wines are grown on their property. They utilize organic practices and do not filter or fine their wines. Many winemakers feel that by filtering or fining the wines, you strip various flavors out of the wine. The wine color is a lemony apricot and being unfiltered, reminds me of many Old-World Wines. There is also a minuscule amount of effervescence. This Viognier has a subtle honeydew nose with lovely flavors of apricot, white peach, hazelnut and cantaloupe on the palate. It offers very smooth drinking and was lower in acidity than I expected. The alcohol content is 13.2% and the finish is around 22 seconds. It will pair nicely with chicken salad, a bold salmon or Mahi Mahi. I thoroughly enjoyed it with my grilled salmon. You don’t need to travel to the Northern Rhone Valley to experience Viognier, since we have excellent ones in Arizona!  Henry and Dorette Schuerman at their Red Rock Winery Over 75% of wine grapes grown in Arizona come from the Wilcox and Sonoita area. When traveling through Sedona and the Verde Valley, you’ll find grapes growing in Page Springs, Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Clarkdale the Village of Oak Creek and Jerome, yet no commercial wineries exist in Sedona. It’s interesting to note, that the first commercial vineyard in Arizona was just outside of Sedona. The owner of Red Rock Winery, Henry Schuerman, a baker from Germany and his wife Dorette had 76 acres under vine close to Sedona. They planted Zinfandel and supplied miners and other locals with their single varietal wine. Unfortunately, Schuerman was arrested during Prohibition and lost his vines as Oak creek changed it’s course and ruined the vineyard, with few vines surviving.
It took until the 1970’s for the Arizona wine industry to reboot again and it’s growing almost exponentially in both the Northern and Southern parts of the State. Winning the “Best in Show” at the San Francisco Chronicles wine competition in both Viognier and Montepulciano, along with multiple Gold and Double Gold Medals, Arizona can be very proud of our growth. achievements and delicious wine. |
AuthorSue Schurgin, CSW, (Certified Specialist of Wine) is the manager of Sedona Wine and Beer Tours. She loves education and is also a Level 1 Sommelier. Archives
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Sedona Delivers, LLC, does business as Sedona Delivers Wine Tours, Sedona Wine and Beer Tours, Sedona Beer Tours and Verde Valley Wine Country Tours.