WTN: 3 excellent Arizonans

Playing catchup, since until recently I was consumed with getting our house ready for sale. I am a big fan of Arizonan wines, and knowing that this past spring was probably going to be my last trip out to Arizona for a while, I picked up three reds to share with the wine manager of the local gourmet grocery, who I thought would really appreciate the experience. This was sometime back in April. Turned out to be the three of the very best Arizonan wines I've had.

Cimarron, Rojo del Sol, Cochise County 2009
68% Tempranillo, 19% Garnacha, 13% Mourvedre. Medium red, with a hint of brown. Very earthy, gravelly nose, with roses/flowers, orange rind, and dark red fruit; a lovely nose. Similar on the palate, a little tart, with a bit of pleasant vegetal notes, and juicy red fruit. Dense dark fruit notes, but not heavy, with a nice long finish. The Garnacha really shows through in this blend. This is a wonderful wine, and the best Arizonan I've had. I love it! ***1/2 [April 2012]

Pillsbury Wine Company, Wild Child Red, Crop Circles, Cochise County 2009
A Rhone-ish field blend, led by Petite Sirah. Medium red/purple. Very subtle nose of earth and dark fruit. On the palate, juicy red fruit, some dark fruit, juniper berry, and spice. Wonderful, fleshy body, and a great finish. *** [April 2012]

Arizona Stronghold, Mangus, Cochise County 2010
71% Sangiovese, 13% Cab Sauv, 11% Malbec, 3% Petite Verdot, 2% Merlot. Medium red/purple. Very nice, subtle nose, with red fruits, gravel, orange rind, sweet smoke/fig; a bit floral, with nice aromatics. Similar on the palate, with tart, juicy red and black fruits, savory notes, herbal notes, stone, and smoke. The quality and polish are very good. I like it. **1/2 [April 2012]

Personally, I feel that Arizona has the potential to take its place next to the three west coast states. But the production may never be large enough, and there's no marketing machine. So that shall remain a hidden gem. Let me say this though - all of you Old World fans out there, Arizona's Spanish, Rhone, and Italian style reds are very successful stylistically (California really can't say that for any of those categories), and offer genuine character - they are well worth seeking out, and the prices are reasonable given the small production.

Have you tried the wine of Tool singer Maynard?

Ryan, this doesn't surprise me in the least, especially the Arizona Stronghold as the winemaker is Eric Glomski, the winemaker at Page Springs Winery. I frequently get AS wines in my Page Springs Club shipments.

Ryan, this doesn't surprise me in the least, especially the Arizona Stronghold as the winemaker is Eric Glomski, the winemaker at Page Springs Winery. I frequently get AS wines in my Page Springs Club shipments.

Hey Doug! I was hoping you'd chime in. I've had one wine from Page Springs, the Vino del Bario, and loved it.

[David M. Bueker]

Glad to hear the quality of AZ wine is improving. I had one bottle several years ago (don't recall the producer) that was almost, but not quite dreadful.

It doesn't surprise me that these three come from Cochise, which I think has good grape growing potential.

Visited Page Springs and enjoyed their wines, but must note that only some of their wines are made from Arizona grapes. Most of the rest are from Paso Robles grapes.

Visited Page Springs and enjoyed their wines, but must note that only some of their wines are made from Arizona grapes. Most of the rest are from Paso Robles grapes.

This is true, Yoel, however, the wines made from Arizona grapes have been as good as the ones made from Paso grapes. Eric started the winery making wine with purchased grapes while the Arizona vineyards matured. Many of those wines are now favorites of a core group of loyal customers, so I don't expect to see them totally disappear, even as more Arizona-grown wine is produced.