New Adventures in Wine Tasting - Arizona!

 When you think of Arizona, wine is not the first thing that comes to mind; in fact, it may not surface to your thoughts at all.  Well, it's now time reorient your thinking and expand your wine knowledge and palate!  Those in the know have already likely sampled bubbly from the neighboring state of New Mexico, namely the Gruet which I featured some years ago in my class on sparkling wines (and continues to be widely available in Pennsylvania wine stores).  So it's not surprising that higher altitude regions of Arizona are also prime real estate for  developing vineyards and producing wines of note.

On a recent trip to the Phoenix area, I had the opportunity to stroll around Old Town Scottsdale with a friend, and we happened upon a number of wine tasting rooms clustered around the North Marshall Way Arts District.  One of the establishments had been mentioned to me by some friends staying in the area, but we ended at a different one that caught me eye on our way to the Scottsdale  Contemporary Art Museum.  The Wine Collective features exclusively wines from Arizona in a cozy setting that provides high-backed chairs at the wine bar as well as lounge seats and tables inside and out. Since it was still quite scorching hot outside, there was no question that we would opt to stay inside, plus we benefited from the very personal and personable service and attention from wine steward extraordinaire Mark, who regaled us with a delightful selections of local state-estate grown wines from a variety of producers in the three Arizona AVAs (American Viticultural Areas).

We started off with the whites, including an Orange Wine produced from the Malvasia Bianco varietal, and a Picpoul Blanc, a French varietal which is hard enough to find in US stores from France, let alone from domestic sources.

The Orange Malavasia, dubbed "The Proper" by the Vino Stache Winery, is sourced from the Wilcox AVA in Southeast Arizona at an elevation of 4,000 feet or more, and is fermented with the skins to impart more tannic structure and body, and then is pressed and aged in a French 187- gallon concrete egg.  The result is an exquisitely fresh and lively dark golden elixir, exuding notes of gardenia, honeysuckle on the nose with crisp acidity and light tannins on the palate supporting layers of  complex flavors and a full, satisfying mouthfeel.  I had recently sampled a super delicious Orange Wine from Sicily (Modus Bibendi Bianco Macerato) just prior to my trip to Phoenix, and I would place this standout from Arizona very much on par with the Old World blend.  The Proper would be a very good food wine, and the proprietor recommends salmon and salad, goat cheese and honey, as well as fruit tart or pie.

The Seventeen Sixty-Four Picpoul Blanc is another delightfully crisp and refreshing white from the Wilcox AVA in Cochise County.  The Picpoul varietal originates in the Languedoc region of Southeastern France and can be regarded as their answer to the Muscadet of the Western Loire Valley.  As such, it is a great accompaniment to seafood, especially shell fish.

Next up were the Rosés, one of which, in particular, inspired our local wine savant to completely change his opinion of Arizona wines and led him to become an unabashed proponent of these little known producers and their products.  I have to say that his revelation was shared by your truly after this eye-opening taste session.  The Los Millics ITA'S 2021 Rosé was truly exceptional.

This 2021 blend is largely composed of Grenache, around 69%, with a healthy portion of Tempranillo (29%) and a touch of  Malvasia Bianco.  The result is a well-balanced, lively and refreshing rosé that succeeds on all levels - bouquet, palate and finish. A delightful aroma with notes of strawberry, white cherry and pink rose gives way to mouth-watering acidity and light, red fruit flavors dancing on the tongue followed by a lingering, satisfying finish to round out the sensory experience.  Although rosés are typically associated with summertime and outdoor picnics, there's no reason not enjoy such a bracing, vibrant wine such as this one year round.

The other rosé we sampled was the Page Springs Cellars' 2021 La Flor Rosa, a blend of 45% Counoise, 30% Grenache, 19% Pinot Gris and 6% Mourvedre.

Counoise is a black-skinned grape that is typically blended with other red  grapes from Southern France such as Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah for either red or rosé wines.  As the predominant grape in this particular rosé, it affords the wine peppery, spicy notes as well as hints of anise or licorice that are often associated with this varietal.

I was especially interested in tasting the Zinfandel that was available at the Wine Collective as my next tasting class will be featuring all Zinfandels, and I wanted to see how an Arizona version compared with the  California product that dominates the market place.  The Golden Rule Zinfandel hails from the Wilcox AVA in Southern Arizona.  The difference from the typical California style was immediately noticeable in the aroma and on the first sip.  As opposed to the jammy, fruit-driven, cinnamony character often associated with the West Coast style, this Arizona version struck me as earthy, rustic, and more in line with a "natural-wine", although there's no indication that the winery follows such guidelines per se.  I also detected raisiny notes reminiscent of an Amarone or Ripasso. The wine was very full-bodied and relatively high in alcohol content ($14.9%) which is in line with most California Zins.

Rounding out our tasting experience were a couple of red blends, plus a bonus wine not yet on the tasting menu, courtesy of our host.

Callaghen's Buena Suerte Red Blend is Cabernet-based with about a third of Graciano and 10% Merlot.  Graciano is a dark-skinned, moderately tannic varietal grown predominantly in Northern Spain in the Rioja and Navarro regions and is known for its intense aromas of mulberry, violets and chocolate, and thus gives this Arizona blend  additional heft in hue, body and flavor.

Callaghen Vineyards is based in Elgin, which is part of the Sonoita AVA, the southern most wine region in Arizona, southeast of Tucson.  It has received numerous accolades in its relatively short history and has been served on several occasions at the White House, no doubt with a little nudge from a certain US Senator from the state.

Mark, our wine steward, treated us to a few encore tastings, including a sample of the Sand-Reckoner Red from Wilcox.

This blend is principally Tempranillo (86%) with equal, smaller amounts each of Petite Sirah and Grenache (7%).  Another issue from the Wilcox AVA, the wine exudes red fruit and tobacco with a meaty, round mouthfeel.

Lastly, we were regaled with an off-list, newly acquired red from Los Milics, labeled Renato's 2019, a Tempranillo-based (70%) blend with supporting varietals in the form of Monastrell (18%) and Graciano (12%).  

Fermented mostly in stainless steel for 15 months to accentuate the fruit character of the Tempranillo, with just a touch of new oak aging, aromas of dark cherry, bay leaf and black pepper emanate from this delightful, food-friendly wine with mouth-watering acidity and velvety texture.  Los Milics also issues a number of hearty red blends of the darker variety (Graciano, Syrah, Monastrell, Petit Verdot) which would merit further investigation on a follow-up trip.

All in all, the tasting was a revelation in the ever-expanding world of New World wines, that have taken classic European vinifera varietals and added their own twist on the wine-making process, blending and terroir-driven yields.

Although these wines have little accessibility outside the state of Arizona, the main purpose of this review and post is to encourage readers to always delve into the local and regional products wherever you may travel.  You might be surprised and delighted at what you discover!  I certainly was.