Given the nature of the wine industry in Colorado, I mostly only have opportunities to review wines from the West Coast, Europe and South America. But consider wine was first made in New Mexico in 1629, Texas in 1659, and Armenia over 6000(!) years ago, while (only) in California in 1767. Try these wines for a change.
Vara is a new project from Laurent Gruet (well-known for the world class bubbles he produced for 40 years at Gruet in Albuquerque, New Mexico) and well-known California winemakers Bob Lindquist and Louisa Sawyer Lindquist. They produce wines, in Albuquerque, from Spanish grapes grown in Spain and various American vineyards, as well as sparkling wine.
- Silverhead Brut ($27) crisp, classy blend of Washington chardonnay and syrah, and Spanish xarel-lo and macabeo; Brut Rosado ($27), brisk, vivid blend of Washington syrah and chardonnay
- 2021 Albariño (California, $30) juicy, citrus, tropical, and stone fruit
- 2019 Garnacha (Spain, $24) fresh, fruitful, soft structure
- 2020 Tempranillo Gold Label ($30) Spanish and American grapes; full-bodied, cherry, anise, eucalyptus
C.L. Butaud, founded in 2014 by Randy and Brooke Hester, who were trained at some of the most acclaimed Napa Valley wineries, uses only Texas grapes. It quickly has become recognized as a top Texas winery.
- 2021 Mourvèdre Desert Willow Vineyard ($38) red fruits, silky texture, ripe tannins
- 2021 Cease & Desist Red Blend ($48) tempranillo, with syrah, mourvèdre; voluptuous, robust, velvety
- 2021 Tempranillo Farmhouse Vineyards ($54) flagship wine; expressive, solid structure
I suspect Armenian wine is not on many consumers’ radar. But it should be. It is undergoing a renaissance as expats driven by a desire to reconnect with their heritage return to ancestral lands, revive vineyards, and rekindle winemaking traditions. Wisely, this centers on a resurrection of indigenous grape varieties (voskehat, areni, milagh, khatuni, qrdi, and garan demak) grown on some of the highest elevation vineyards in the world.
- 2019 Noa Areni ($32) aromatic, cherry, savory spices, cedar, concentrated
- 2020 Zulal Voskehat ($25) aromatic, pear, pineapple, refreshing
- 2019 Yacoubian-Hobbs Dry White ($30) collaboration of winemaker Paul Hobbs and the Yacoubian family; fresh, aromatic, lime, green apple, minerality
- Keush “Origins” ($24) sparkling wine, crisp, apple, peach, toasted almond
- Shofer Rose ($21) areni grapes, century-old, ungrafted vines, fresh, full character
Finally, a rare wine from California.
Left Bend is a collaboration between winegrower Richard Hanke and winemaker Gary Robinson focused on mountain grown fruit from Santa Cruz Mountains. “Mashup”, their most interesting product, uses a solera aging system, a method traditionally used for Spanish Sherry. The resulting Mashup “Version 7” ($75) is a multi-vintage blend (cabernet sauvignon, syrah, tempranillo, petit verdot, cabernet franc) of aged wine from vintages dating back to 2010 that provides a smooth mouthfeel and complexity plus younger wine that adds a fresh fruitiness.