RESTORATION VINEYARDS
Linda and Gary Brauns are from the Bay Area and their wanting to get out of the corporate world brought them to the Grand Valley and the purchase of a vineyard in 2018. Linda was a big shot at a prominent Cable Network and Gary sold everything Mercedes Benz (there is still a classic Mercedes parked in front of the winery every day). Linda is the self taught winemaker, and the winery produce close to 5,000 cases a year. She has a wonderful touch, and the wines are terrific, with the red wines in Colorado’s top class.
2022 SAUVIGNON BLANC “Grand Valley”
Melon, touch of herb, fresh, clean, well balanced & delicious 87-88
2020 SEMILLON “ Grand Valley”
Waxy, fresh, soft & creamy with a tickle of acid . 87-88
2022 FIELD BLEND WHITE “Grand Valley”
A blend of Semillon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Mixed in the field & fermented together. Green apple, lovely acidity. 86-87
2019 BARBERA “Grand Valley”
Aged for 3 years in French oak. Oak dominant on the nose, large scaled with toasty black fruits. Rustic, old school… 87-88
2018 BARBERA “Grand Valley”
Aged for four years in French oak. Layers of cherries on the nose with lots of cherry/black fruits on the palate. Another big boy. 88-89
2019 CABERNET FRANC “Grand Valley”
3 years in French Oak. A texbook weedy/leafy nose with beautiful dark fruits on the palate. Showy with real finesse. One of the best Cabernet Francs I tasted on this trip. 90-92
2018 CABERNET FRANC RESERVE “Grand Valley”
Four years in French oak. A bigger version of the 19’ with a pronounced leafy/toasty oak nose. Big black currant fruits go on and one. 89-90
2018 MERLOT “Grand Valley”
34 months in French oak. Toasted ok, black currants/mocha on the nose. Lovely black fruits on the palate that are balanced. Still youthful - stunning. 90-91
2021 PINOTAGE “Grand Valley”
30 Months in French oak. Very pretty with strawberry/red berries dominating the palate (almost Burgundian in style). A nice little dance of acidity on the finish. Just superb. 90-92
PEACHFORK ORCHARDS & VINEYARDS
Phil and Sue Patton purchased this 40 acre plot of land 30 years ago, and planted apples, peaches and plums at first, eventually planting more and more wine grapes (half the property today is planted with grapes with another 10 acres of leased land planted with grapes).
Phil is from Kentucky and worked for Chevron and he and his wife eventually became mining consultants (Sue still works as a mining consultant). The Patton’s sell most of their fruit to Carlson, but Phil is getting more and more into winemaking, and now produces close to 1,000 cases a year. Phil literally makes his wines in a room no bigger than a closet, and his unassuming ways suggested he was still learning his craft. But the Peachfork wines were the surprise of my trip. These are lovely, stunning wines with beautiful acid levels and shocking quality (especially for wines made in a freakin’ closet). When I asked Phil what the residual sugars were on his wines, he admitted that he didn’t know, and never checked. He picks when the fruit “looks” ripe, and bottles when they “taste” done. I loved this place.
2022 GEWURZTRAMINER “Grand Valley”
Peach pit, fruitcocktail/citrus on the nose. Bone dry with a spicy fat palate. Delicious and textbook Gewurztraminer - 87-88
2022 TRAMINETTE “Grand Valley”
Patton has a lot of Traminette planted, and is planting more and I can see why. This is absolutely delicious. Spicy nose, pear/peaches on the palate with crisp acidity flowing throughout. Guessing 1% R.S. 88-89
2022 LEMBERGER “Grand Valley”
Phil sells most of his Blaufrankisch to Carlson Vineyards, but has a lot planted and loves to make one himself. Fermentation in plastic tanks, finished with 6 months in French oak. Spicy nose bright red fruits, juicy with lovely balance. 88-89
2020 CHAMBOURCIN “Grand Valley”
Fat, juicy fruit on the nose, following through on the palate. Pretty currant/plummy fruits dominate. Great acidity as well. Hate to use this word but; really yummy stuff. 88-89
2022 CHAMBOURCIN “Grand Valley”
Wow. Big fruit on the nose, lots of primary black fruits on the palate - absolutely delicious - I just adore this hybrid. 88-89
2020 CABERNET SAUVIGNON “Grand Valley”
Aged 6 months in French oak. Another wow. Cedary/black olive fruit on the nose, follows through on the palate. Just delicious. 88-89
2022 CABERNET SAUVIGNON - BARREL SAMPLE “Grand River Valley”
Black olive/cedar/black fruits - great potential. Gonna be terrific.
N.V. PEACH WINE - PLATEAU “Grand Valley”
Quite dry with tart, super refreshing peach notes. 86-87
COLORADO CELLARS
Colorado’s first winery, founded by Rick and Padke Turley in 1978. The Turley’s are Colorado pioneers with their ancestors arriving in the state by way of the Santa Fe Trail in 1824. Today the domaine produces 25,000 cases of wine a year from 20 acres of vines (and long term contracts with other local grape growers). Padke is the long time winemaker. The wines are classic, rustic, old school in style. The bulk of the reds see 18 months in predominately French oak.
2020 CHARDONNAY “Grand Valley”
Light oak, a touch oxidation on the nose, weird sweet palate. 79-81
2020 PINOT GRIS “Grand Valley”
Aged in clay amphora. Lots of mineral aromas, clean with a soft, wet-stone/mineral laden palate - quite impressive. 87-88
2020 PINOT NOIR “Grand Valley”
Pasty/woody nose. Lots of red berries on the palate. Quite rich in berry fruit. Surprisingly good. 85-86
2020 CABERNET SAUVIGNON “Grand Valley”
Oaky nose, fat and round on the palate, rustic structure with cedar and oak dominating at the moment. Nice potential. 86-87
1982 CABERNET SAUVIGNON “Grand Valley”
Pulled from the cellar, brawny/oaky nose, lovely cedary fruit that has held up quite well. This is in beautiful shape. 88-89
2020 MERLOT “Grand Valley”
Oaky/barnyard/fresh hay aromas. Full-bodied fruit showing chocolate/mocha notes. Really nice mouthfeel. 86-87
1997 MERLOT “Grand Valley”
Another pull from the cellar. Brawny/rustic old oak aromas. Soft mouthfeel with still vibrant black fruits. Brawny finish. 86-87
2020 COLORADO MOUNTAIN VINEYARD RED “Grand Valley”
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Sharp wood notes, sweet unbalanced palate. 79-81
2018 SYRAH “Grand River Valley”
Now we are talking. Big black fruits on the nose, really nice, full-bodied mouthfeel. Lovely balance. 89-90
HERMOSA VINEYARD
Ken Dunn founded this estate 30 years ago, selling his fruit to local wineries, and eventually started producing wines himself. Ken’s not the easiest guy to get along with (most questions are answered with another question) so good luck getting any stats on the wines etc. But no one is making better red wines in the valley than Ken. Dunn has 6 acres with 17 different grapes planted. Because of the severe freezes of 2019 and 2020, Ken hasn’t made a wine in three years. But he has a full harvest in 2023, so we will see some new wines down the road from Dunn. The red wines here are truly stunning.
2017 MALBEC “Grand Valley”
The fruit is sourced from the Blue Beryl Vineyard up the road from Ken, and it’s farmed by a mother/daughter team Ken has brought into the business (more on them later). And it’s the only vineyard Dunn will purchase fruit from. 100% New French oak. Very pretty, vibrant fruit, just lovely. 90-91
2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON “Grand Valley”
Aged in new French oak barrels. Vanilla/black fruit aromas, sculpted, gorgeous fruit that is tightly scructured with great balance and length. 90-92
2018 SIGNATURE RED “Grand Valley”
Co-fermented together in new French oak barrels then aged for 39 months in one year old French oak barrels. Plush, balanced with seriously concentrated fruit. 88-90
2019 SYRAH “Grand Valley”
Aged in new French oak barrels. Freshly cracked pepper on the nose, sleek, smooth, concentrated black fruits in abundance. 90-92
TWO RIVERS VINEYARDS
Bob and Billie Witham grew up in Colorado and were heavily involved with building Home Management, creating and managing countless Senior Living Centers over the years in Colorado and Texas. They purchased 10 acres in the Grand River Valley in 1999 for just this reason, then after a ton of research, decided to plant a vineyard instead. Their facilities here are stunning, the most developed in the state and today they have 14 total acres and produce 14,000 cases a year. This is one of the most popular wineries in the state.
2020 CHARDONNAY “Grand Valley”
50% Fermented in stainless steel, 50% fermented in French oak. Prominent vanilla/oak in the nose, clean apple fruit on the palate - simple but nice - 85-86
2020 MERLOT “Grand Valley”
Aged in 50% French oak and 50% American oak for 18 months. Dark Chocolate aromas are subtle - beautiful rich color, quite tannic but good potential. 87-88
2022 SYRAH “Grand Valley”
Bright black fruits on the nose, black olives and peppery spice mix well with the black currants. This is a terrific Syrah. 88-90
2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON “Grand Valley”
Aged in 50% French oak and 50% American oak for 18 months. Bold and brawny, showing lots of oak on the palate. Lots of fruit and it’s all well balanced, just needs to come together. 86-87
N.V. VINTNERS BLEND “Grand Valley”
60% Syrah and 40% Syrah. 18 Months in French and American barrels. Black fruits on the nose, very aromatic, medium weight with nice balance. Quite nice. 88-89
VINES 79 WINE BARN
Dan & Juliann Adams purchased a small 2 acre site in Palisade that had a small, 100 year old peach packing barn on the property in 2013 and soon after planted their grape vines. They turned the barn into a tiny tasting room in front and a little winery in the back (this is NOT a big barn). Dan is a construction manager in Palisade and Juliann was the long time director of the local Chamber of Commerce in Palisade. Juliann was also a long time home winemaker and retired from the chamber to make tiny lots of some of the most engaging wines in the valley. She uses oak staves to spice her red wines, with very good success and is close to producing 1,000 cases of wine a year (with each bottle corked, one at a time). I absolutely adore little “do it yourself” wineries like this.
2022 BUFFALO ROSE “Grand Valley”
A kitchen sink blend of Tempranillo, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. The Rhubarb/Strawberries jump out of the glass, and follow through on the palate. 1% Residual Sugar. Delicious. 86-87
2022 THUNDERBIRD BLEND “Grand Valley”
Another kitchen sink blend of Vignoles, Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Aromello (A new hybrid from the Finger Lakes). A lot going on here, yet crisp, light and fresh. 86-87
2019 SYRAH “Grand Valley”
Lots of woody notes on the nose, a fat palate of black fruits with hints of currants and licorice. 85-86
2019 TEMPRANILLO “Grand Valley”
Burnt matchstick on the nose (make believe brett?) and toasty, woody notes. Lovely, spicy fruit, rustic in a good way. 86-87
2017 CABERNET FRANC “Grand Valley”
Nice, spicy aromatics, leafy, rustic fruit that’s quite bright with a nice show of acid. Delicious. 87-88
N.V. CABERNET SAUVIGNON “Grand Valley”
A blend of 2018/19/20 Cabernet Sauvignon lots. Cedary/woodsy nose. Big aromatics. nice balance, well made. 87-88
2019 THE OUTLAW “Grand Valley”
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Tempranillo. A little wine with a lot of character. Spicy, soft and well balanced. 87-88
BLUE BERYL WINERY
This little estate has very quietly become “the cool new winery” of Colorado. Jacki Wells planted this stunning property at the base of Mount Garfield in 2011,(so the views out their front window rival any tasting room in the world). Soon after, Jacki’s daughter Courtney entered the picture. With a fine art degree (she’s a wonderful artist & designs all their labels), and with some intense training under
Ken Dunn (Hermosa Vineyards), Blue Beryl Winery was born. Now Hermosa Vineyards was already producing world class red wines from the Blue Beryl fruit, so the base was there. Who knew Courtney would be as gifted as a winemaker as she is an artist? First releases are turning everyone’s heads. A super exciting estate to watch.
2019 CHENIN BLANC “Grand Valley”
A touch of oxidation in the nose, terrific melony fruit that layers in the mouth with great force. Terrific acidity. Very interesting. 86-87
2022 CHENIN BLANC “Grand Valley”
Aged 12 months in French oak barrels. Vanilla/creme brulee on the nose with a melony backdrop following through on the palate. Citrus notes are bright and focused. Wonderful. 89-90
2022 ROSE “Grand Valley”
100% Cabernet Sauvignon. 6 hour skin contact. Hearty berry nose, red fruits on the palate, low acidity. 86-87
2019 SYRAH “Grand Valley”
Big dense fruit, brawny wood (100% French - new), a wonderful swirl of black fruits and are just splendidly displayed. 13.9% alcohol. 90-92
