A couple years ago, I started visiting “non-West Coast” wine regions. Bored with the “same old thing” every time I headed West, I miss those days of exploring new regions and watching them grow. This year it was Colorado’s Grand Valley. I visited most of the top wineries, and came away pretty impressed. The reds are of course high altitude, and did remind me of Argentina quite a bit. I think there is a lot of potential here, they get the hot days, and cool nights (so no acid issues here) and it sure is a beautiful wine region. Here are the ones that stood out - good or bad -
COLTERRIS VINEYARDS
Scott High was the longtime director of Seagram’s fine wine division before branching out with his own wine import company called ‘Classic Wines’. In the late 1990s, Scott and family decided to purchase vineyard land in the Grand Valley and eventually started a winery that today is one of Colorado’s most accomplished. High consulted with Nicholas Catena in Argentina about high altitude wines and Catena steered him to the right clones and today Cabernet (and Bordeaux styled blends) are his focus. Colterris produces around 13,000 cases a year at the moment, but with the purchase of some new vineyards and one of the Grand Valley’s most prominent wineries last December (Plum Creek), are preparing to up their production substantially.
2022 SAUVIGNON BLANC “Grand Valley”
Melon, fresh citrus, quite pretty. Quiet aromatics, yet the fruit is almost candied on the palate, yet quite dry. 85-86
2022 CABERNET SAUVIGNON BLANC “Grand Valley”
Light red berries on the nose with a nice dance of acidity on the palate. Fresh berries stick out from the tannic, tight structure. 88-89
2022 MALBEC ROSE “Grand Valley”
Raspberries on the nose, big fruit, low acidity. 83-85
2020 MERLOT “Grand Valley”
17 months in oak, 20% French, muted nose, chalky/dark chocolate, quite balanced. 84-85
2020 CABERNET FRANC “Grand Valley”
18 Months in oak, a touch of dank/herbs on the nose, very soft with a little heat on the finish. 85-86
2019 CABERNET SAUVIGNON “Grand Valley”
24 months on oak (20% French), cracked pepper, herbs/black fruits/ mulling spices, bold fruit, some tannin, nice potential. 87-88.
2020 COLORADEAUX “Grand Valley”
18 months in oak, 46% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petit Verdot and 8% Cabernet Franc. Pretty black fruits on the nose and palate. bold with lovely balance. A touch of herbs on the finish. 88-90.
BOOK CLIFF VINEYARDS
The winery is located in Boulder, but the vineyards are in the Grand Valley. The estate dates back to the early 1990s, with the ownership changing hands in 2019. These were some of the classiest wines I tasted on the trip, with a lovely lineup all across the board.
2022 VIOGNIER “Grand Valley”
Muted nose, quite crisp and very little varietal fruit. Soft, with nice balance and surprising acidity. 84-85
2022 ALBARINO “Grand Valley”
Quite a bit of Albarino planted in the Valley (and offered by quite a few wineries). A lovely, waxy nose, honeydew melon fruit mixed with stark citrus notes, . Really nice. 87-89
2022 CHARDONNAY “Grand Valley”
Lightly oaked, yet the wood shows throughout the wine. Vanilla/toasted butter on the nose, these flavors mix well with the crisp apple base on the palate. Lovely finish with nice length. 88-89
2022 MUSCAT BLANC “Grand Valley”
Also seeing a lot of dry Muscat in the valley. Peaches on the nose (how apropos). Bone dry, yet a gorgeous mouth feel. Tart white peaches on the palate, really fun stuff. 88-89
2022 DRY ROSE “Grand Valley”
98% Cabernet Franc and 2% Merlot and Muscat. Little nose, tart berries on the palate. Fresh, clean and balanced. 85-86
2022 MALBEC “Grand Valley”
A big, bombastic black fruit nose (carbonic maceration?) that follows through on the palate. Juicy and ripe with a nice fresh smack of fruit. Super fun. 87-88
2020 CABERNET FRANC RESERVE “Grand Valley”
Weedy, textbook aromatics, light black fruits on the palate, not heavy at all, well made but quite simple. 85-86
2020 CABERNET SAUVIGNON “Grand Valley”
95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot. 80% French oak (20% new). Herbal, spicy with a touch of oak on the nose. Beautiful focus of black fruits on the palate. Not a big wine, but pretty, bright and focused, 88-89
2020 MALBEC RESERVE “Grand Valley”
80% French oak (20% new), prominant oak on the nose that hides the black fruits at this stage, a big juicy palate of currant and black fruits spiced with the wood, wonderful length on the palate. 89-90
2020 ENSEMBLE “Grand Valley”
63% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Petit Verdot. 10 months in French Oak. Oak and dark fruits on the nose, really nice length on the palate yet still tight and needing a little more time. 87-88
2020 CRESCENDO “Grand Valley”
40% Petit Verdot, 27% Syrah, 16% Souzao, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Merlot. 10 months in French oak. Big nose, deep, dark red fruits on the palate, balanced well yet not over the top. 89-91
THE ORDINARY FELLOW
*Ben Parsons is from London and cut his teeth learning how to make wine in Australia. Ben also worked in Burgundy for a while, and came to Colorado in 2001. Soon after, Parsons purchased a 13 acre vineyard in Cortez Colorado that very well could be the highest elevation vineyard in the country at 6,200 feet above sea level. Ben opened ‘The Ordinary Fellow’ Winery in 2021 and today produces around 2,500 cases of wine, all from his estate vineyard in Cortez. Ben has a great touch, and is producing some very refined, delicate wines thatare quite different from the bolder, heartier wines of his neighbors. The winery is named after an old ‘Whitbread’ pub in London called “The Ordinary Fellow’ that Ben’s father used to bring him to.
2021 RIESLING “Box Bar Vineyard”
I had heard that the Rieslings in Colorado were some of their best wines, but I have yet to taste anything exciting here. This might be the exception. Bone dry (Aussie style?), 21 day fermentation, with minerals and white peach/apple notes. Very nice. 87-88
2022 PINOT NOIR ROSE “Hawk’s Nest Vineyard”
From a vineyard 6,800 feet above sea level in Cortez. Bone dry with rhubarb/strawberry notes. Really clean and fresh. 88-89
2022 CHARDONNAY “Box Bar Vineyard”
Very Burgundian, Parsons worked for a few years in Montagny, and the influence shows. Aged for 7 months in 5 year old French oak barrels, a nice little note of vanilla mixes well with the tart apple fruit. Very impressive. 88-90
2021 PINOT NOIR “Hawk’s Nest Vineyard”
Again, Ben’s Burgundy experience really shows here. 7 months in French oak barrels. Light ruby red in color, with cranberry/red berry notes. A soft, silky Santenay came to mind. Really a pretty Pinot. 88-89
2021 CABERNET SAUVIGNON “Box Bar Vineyard”
The olives and green peppers on the nose reminded me of my first visits to the Dry Creek Valley many years ago. I loved those old school Cabernets from Sonoma and really loved this wine. The fruit is faton the palate with deep black fruits. Not a big wine at all, just a soft, chewy Cabernet full of flavor. 89-91.
SAUVAGE SPECTRUM
Another fairly new property founded in 2019 by Chicago native Patric Matysiewski (who makes the wines) and Grapegrower Kaibab Sauvage. Patric owns nine acres himself, and they source fruit from another 80 acres in the Grand River Valley. The winery produced 5,000 cases of wine last year, with their bubblies making up most of the production.
N.V. SPARKLETTE WHITE “Grand Valley”
A Prosecco-like bubby made from a proprietary blend of estate fruit (sshhhh - the blend is a secret). Fresh citrus on the nose, light and frothy on the palate, Quite clean and fresh. 84-85
N.V. SPARKLETTE ROSE “Grand Valley”
Another ‘proprietary’ blend. Tart red berries starts things out, again it’s nicely fresh, clean and balanced. Quite fun. 84-85
N.V. PET NAT WHITE “Grand Valley”
Made with four grapes (again, it’s a secret), tart apples and a very nice palate of zippy fruit. Impressive. 87-88
N.V. PET NAT HOPS “Grand Valley”
Produced from five different grapes and dry hopped with Citra hops.
The winery calls it “their answer to an IPA”. Crisp and clean with a touch of hops. Not very interesting. 81-83
2022 DOMAINE WHITE “Grand Valley”
Another proprietary blend. Alcohol on the nose, ponderous, simple - meh - 79-81
2022 ALBARINO “Grand Valley”
Little on the nose, very low acid, muddled palate 79-81
2022 PINOT GRIS “Grand Valley”
Soft, light peach/pear notes. again, very little acidity. 81-83
2022 RIESLING “Grand Valley”
14% alcohol. Semi-sweet, candied fruit. meh - 81-82
2022 DOLCETTO NOVELLO “Grand Valley”
Guessing carbonic maceration, very light, not much flavor, quite simple 79-81
2022 TEROLDEGO “Grand River Valley”
2% Petit Verdot was added to the blend. Whole berry fermentation has resulted in a really pretty wine with bright black fruits, nice acidity balances everything out. Very nice. 87-88
2019 RESERVE RED “Grand Valley”
77% Malbec and 23% Petit Verdot. Aged in French oak. A big wine, with a lot of showy extract. The fruit is prominent, and quite toasty. 85-87
N.V. DEVIL’S PREY “Grand Valley”
15.9% Alcohol. Another ‘secret’ proprietary blend. Aged in Bourbon barrels. While I am not a fan of this style, this was quite well made with candied, port like fruit playing off the bourbon notes. 86-87
2022 SYRAH “Grand Valley”
15.9% Alcohol. Port like right out of the gate, big fruit on the nose, and it’s actually quite balanced. 5% Viognier added. Really nice for the style. 87-88
CARLSON VINEYARDS
Another of Colorado’s pioneering wineries (the third oldest winery in the state), producing some of the state’s most interesting wines. Parker and Mary Carlson planted their first vines in 1981, and opened the winery in 1988. Garrett Porta (who had been working at the winery since 2011) eventually purchased the estate. The domaine has 5.2 acres of vines and purchase the rest of the fruit for their wines (mainly from Peachfork Vineyards). Garret works with two other winemakers to produce their wines. This was a really exciting lineup to go through -
2022 DRY RIESLING “Grand Valley” HIGH DESERT WINE LAB
The High Desert Wine Lab wines are a new project for the estate. This clocked in at 14.5% alcohol, bone dry with light aromatics at the moment, a lovely white, but ZERO Riesling flavor. 86-87
2022 GEWURZTRAMINER “Grand Valley” HIGH DESERT WINE LAB
12% Alcohol. Very floral nose, bone dry with textbook spice in perfect balance. 86-87
2022 ROSE “Grand Valley” HIGH DESERT WINE LAB
100% Blaufrankisch, 13.5% alcohol. Light red fruits on the nose, bone dry, pretty pink in color with watermelon/rhubarb notes - very clean and crisp. 88-89
2022 FIELD BLEND ROSE “Grand Valley” HIGH DESERT WINE LAB
Blaufrankisch and Riesling. Bone dry, red berries, great acidity, fresh, clean, really pretty. 88-89
2021 CONTACT “Grand Valley”
100% La Crescent, fermented on the skins before pressing. Yeasty nose, quite clean and fresh for an ‘orange wine’. Surprisingly nice. 86-87
2021 SEMI-DRY RIESLING “Grand Valley”
The 2021 Dry Riesling is the base for this, with a portion of a sweeter batch of Riesling added after fermentation. Light pear aromatics, nice acidity for a sweeter Riesling. 86-87
2021 EXODUS “Grand Valley”
100% Blaufrankisch. 14.1% Alcohol. Aged in stainless steel and finished with a kiss of French oak. Big red fruited nose that follows through on the palate. Nice acidity. Delicious. 88-89
2020 WREN QUINN - RED “Grand Valley”
64% Merlot and 36% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in French oak. 14.5% Alcohol. Little nose, an awkward palate, brawny and short. 81-83
N.V. 365 - RED “Grand Valley”
60% Chambourcin, 35% Blaufrankisch and 5% Cabernet Franc. French oak. Big fruit aromas, soft with lovely black fruits on the palate. Delicious. 87-88
2020 TERRA - RED “Grand Valley”
60% Blaufrankisch and 40% Petit Sirah. 14% Alcohol. Black fruits on the nose. Plush, juicy palate. Great balance, chewy, really nice. 88-89
2020 FULL CIRCLE - RED “Grand Valley”
60% Petit Sirah and 40% Blaufrankisch. Big fruit on the nose, nice mouthfeel, rich a perfectly balanced. A pretty wine. 88.89
MAISON LA BELLE VIE VINEYARDS
The winery was originally founded 20 some years ago, and was purchased by Holly and Nicholas Games from Denver two years ago (who where long time Post Office employees). Corey Norsworthy is one of Colorado’s most accomplished winemakers (more on him later), and he stayed on board with the ownership change. 4.5 acres of vines, the rest of the fruit is purchased with long term contracts. The wines are large scaled, with some of the reds showing good potential.
2022 WHITE BLEND “Grand Valley”
85% Traminette and 15% Muscat. Fresh and lively with a peachy nose. fruity crisp palate with nice acidity. 85-86
2001 MUSCAT BLANC “Grand Valley”
2.3% Residual sugar. Semi-sweet, nice peachy notes. 83-84.
N.V. VIN DE PECHE “Grand Valley”
13% Alcohol. Muscat infused with organic peach leaves. Light red berries on the nose, leafy, white peach notes, really delicious. 90-92
2019 MERLOT BLEND “Grand Valley”
70% Merlot, 10% Baco Noir, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Crimson Cabernet. 14.1% Alcohol. The varietals were fermented separately in French and American oak. Mocha on the nose, brawny, dryish fruit. 80-81
2019 SYRAH BLEND “Grand Valley”
70% Syrah, 10% Baco Noir, 10% Leon Millot and 10% Mouvedre. Lots of wood on the nose and palate, brawny and tannic. 80-81
2020 RED BLEND “Grand Valley”
40% Merlot, 30% Petite Sirah, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petite Pearl and 10% Baco Noir. The hybrids were aged in American oak. A big wine at 14% alcohol, fluid black fruits on the palate and very well made. 87-89
2019 MERLOT “Grand Valley”
Aged in French oak. Bitter chocolate/red fruits on the nose. The oak plays well with the black fruits. Nice balance. 86-87
2019 SYRAH “Grand Valley”
100% American oak. Big, spicy black fruited nose, with lots of black fruit on the palate. A touch of wood spice on the finish. 87-89
2020 PETIT VERDOT “Grand Valley”
Aged in French oak barrels. Big extract, chewy rich palate. Nice acidity. 88-89
2019 MALBEC “Grand Valley”
Aged in French oak, prominant oaky nose, follows through on the palate. Fruit sneaking in but still very tightly structured. 14.1% Alcohol. 83-84
2019 CABERNET SAUVIGNON “Grand Valley”
Aged in American oak. 14.1% Alcohol. Big, oak laden, large scaled, tannic fruit, a brawny wine. 86-87
2020 MARECHAL FOCH “Grand Valley”
Aged in American oak. Dark fruit, hint of blueberry, lots of wood on the palate. 84-85
2019 PINOT NOIR “Grand Valley”
Aged in French oak. Oak dominates the nose, a big jammy palate with lots of cherry fruit. A big wine. 85-86
2019 CABERNET FRANC - LIMITED RELEASE “Grand Valley”
Lots of wood on the nose, leafy and soft on the palate. A pretty wine. 86-87
N.V. VIN DE NOIX “Grand Valley”
A fortified desert wine. 18% Alcohol. 100% Marechal Foch aged with green walnuts soaking in the juice. Candied fruit on the palate, port-like and very well made. A very interesting wine. 88-89
RED FOX CELLARS
Scott and Sherrie Hamilton purchased this property in 2012 and planted 13 different varietals on their 5+ acres, releasing their first wines in 2014. The Hamiltons have since sold those 5+ acres and prefer to purchase fruit from local growers because of the fast growing acreage being planted in the Grand River Valley. They produce 1,500 cases a year of large scaled, full-bodied reds. Scott designs the wild labels and loves Italian varietals. Hamilton was a blast to spend time with, and I really liked their wines and the wild labels (AND the very reasonable prices). A local star.
N.V. CHARDONNAY - LOCO-MOTIVE “Grand Valley”
Aged in Tequila barrels, a hugely popular wine in the tasting room. Finished in French oak, vanilla/Anejo notes, quite interesting if more than a bit odd. A fun wine though. 84-85
2022 LONG DAY ROSE “Grand Valley”
100% Tempranillo. 0% Residual sugar. Berries/minerals on the nose that follows throughon the palate. Really lingers on the palate. 87-88
2018 TEMPRANILLO “Grand Valley”
Aged in French oak barrels. Rustic, oaky nose. Oak spiced black fruits still showing it’s brawny youthfulness. 87-88
2017 MALBEC “Grand Valley”
Aged in American oak. Big black fruit aromas, gobs of fruit on the palate with an old school rustic quality. Nice. 87-88
N.V. 44 RED “Grand Valley”
*44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 12% Syrah. *Aged in French oak. Big, rustic, nicely toasty red with plush red fruits. 88-89
N.V. CABERNET SAUVIGNON “Grand Valley”
A blend of 2017,2018 and 2019 vintages. Aged in French oak. Black currants, nice length, a big fruit bomb. 85-86
N.V. MERLOT - BOURBON BARREL “Grand Valley”
Just enough ‘Bourbon’ flavor to know it’s there, well made for the style - 85-86
N.V. CABERNET FRANC - RYE WHISKEY BARREL “Grand Valley”
Soft whiskey notes on the nose, quite round in the mouth with a nice balance of rye and fruit. 87-88
N.V. BOURBEAUX “Grand Valley”
A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec. Aged for one year in American oak and finished in Bourbon barrels for another year. Candied fruit, well made for the style. 85-86
2017 DOLCETTO “Grand Valley”
A year in French oak. Lovely fruit, pretty balance with crisp acidity. 86-87
2019 TEROLDEGO “Grand Valley”
One year in French oak. Absolutely beautiful fruit, plush with an absolutely delicious finish. Really nice. 88-90
N.V. BELLA PALIZZIATA “Grand Valley”
100% Saint Vincent aged in French oak for a year. Saint Vincent is a French-American hybrid with unknown origins, found mainly in Missouri. Nice, prominant black fruits with terrific length on the palate. Quite surprising. 87-89
N.V. LA DOLCE VITA “Grand Valley”
50% Dolcetto, 25% Nebbiolo and 25% Teroldego. Aged in French oak. A terrific red with beautiful black fruits on the palate. Great length with a nice, silky finish. Very interesting. 88-90
N.V. NEBBIOLO “Grand Valley”
Aged in French oak. 15% Alcohol, this is a big wine with big black fruits on the palate. Surprising acidity gives it real focus. Delicious. 88-90.