Arizona has over 80 bonded wineries and is gaining fame for its earthy red Rhone varieties. Willcox is the newest American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the state, and the town of Willcox is one of the most rustic western towns you are likely to run across. Willcox has begun to blossom into a major wine tourism region, already growing nearly three quarters of all Arizona winegrapes. During tastings at three of the leading local wineries, I ran into quite a few customers from around the country who had heard of Arizona’s winemaking progress and wanted to experience the state’s great wines for themselves.
Some experts say that the best Arizona wines do not come from Willcox – they instead point to wines made in northern Arizona’s Verde Valley, such as those from Caduceus Cellars and Merkin Vineyards, made by wine expert and rock star Maynard James Keenan (frontman and founder of Tool, Puscifer and A Perfect Circle, and my son’s favorite musician). Interestingly, many of the grapes used by Maynard’s wines actually come from the Willcox area.
Willcox boasts several of its own wineries that make award-winning wine which can hold its own against even some of the better wines of northern California. The tasting rooms I visited all fall into this category, and are summarized below with my assessment of some of their offerings.
Keeling Schaefer Vineyards. At 5000’ elevation, these vineyards enjoy cool nights that help maintain acidity even as the hot Arizona sun fully ripens the grapes. Having honed their craft here for almost 20 years, Keeling Schaefer wines have been written up in the Wall Street Journal and have earned high scores from the big-name wine raters.
- 2016 Puzzle Vine PicPoul Blanc. Light, vibrantly refreshing, with apple and citrus fruit on the palate. At less than 13% alcohol and substantial acidity this is a great summer refresher, and at $12 per bottle it is a real bargain. 8.5 out of 10 points.
- 2013 Partners Rhone Blend. This GSM (59% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 11% Mourvedre) is as nuanced and balanced as offerings from the southern Rhone Valley, but with the riper fruit-forward taste of the new world. A pale clear garnet in the glass with complex fruit aromatics. A sip reveals tons of dark fruit, fig and spice backed by soft tannins. $18, 9/10. I bought a bottle of this one.
- 2014 Keeling Brothers Shiraz. Deep ruby, medium-full body. Like their lower price-point Syrah, this is a lush wine with dark berry and cocoa, but in this reserve offering the fruit is slightly overpowered by the American Oak in which it was aged. $34, 7.5/10
Aridus Wine Company. One of the largest winemaking facilities in the state, Aridus brings in grapes from high-quality vineyards from Arizona, New Mexico and California.
- 2015 Aridus Tempranillo. Light, clear ruby, decidedly less opaque than a Spanish Tempranillo, but the taste is classic Rioja. Medium-bodied with raspberry and tart cherry, with a touch of spice and cocoa. $39.90, 8/10
- 2015 Aridus Malbec. Medium ruby, wonderful bouquet of red fruit and a touch of leather. Smoooooth fruit and spice on the palate. $36.75, 9/10
Carlson Creek Vineyards. I am impressed with a winery that uses estate grapes (grapes grown on vineyards which are on the winery’s property) rather than searching out grapes from other regions. Every one of the Carlson Creek wines I sampled was made from Arizona grapes, with the vast majority coming from the Carlson property vineyards. In fact, Carlson sells many grapes to other Arizona wineries as well. They understand Arizona climate and terroir, and it shows.
- 2012 Chenin Blanc. First of all, kudos to Carlson Creek for holding on to this beautiful white until it was so nicely aged. I selected this wine to sample rather than the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc because some of the best whites I have had are Chenin Blanc’s from Vouvray in the Loire Valley. This is a well-crafted warm-climate high-alcohol (14.8%) version of a Loire Valley Chenin Blanc. A surprisingly refreshing acidity with a full palate of stone fruit and citrus and a long honey-tinged finish. 8.5/10
- 2012 Sangiovese. This one was awarded a Bronze Medal in San Francisco last year. A light ruby with amber-tinged meniscus, this light-bodied Chianti Riserva style red shows lots of cherry and red berry flavors with a hint of spice and soft, smooth tannins. $24, 9/10
- 2013 Rule of Three. A typical southern-Rhone style GSM (40% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 30% Mouvredre), done superbly well. An immediate aromatic rush of plum and dark berry with the same on the palate. What is surprising is the loooong finish on this one. At $29, this oak-aged blend is a bargain. 9/10.
- 2014 Malbec. A dense ruby – more opaque than any of the other offerings. Moderate alcohol (13.5%) is perfectly balanced with loads of blackberry and plum with drifting smoky tobacco through the mid-palate. I liked this better than many Argentinian offerings. $40, 9.5/10
- 2014 Syrah. Medium ruby in the glass, with beautiful dark berry on the nose and the palate. This is a LUSH wine. The fruit is ripe and packs every sip, with notes of leather and a backbone of round tannins. $32, 9/10
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