• OUR GRAPES

Our vineyards sit at an elevation of 5000 feet, and we grow 13 varietals of grapes on our 20+ acres.  The foothills of the Mustang Mountains of Southern Arizona provide the perfect microclimate for the unique grape varietals that go into our rich reds and smooth whites and rosés. Some of the grapes are not well-known, here and we’d like to share why we chose them and how we blend them into our award-winning wines.

Arizona’s Tempranillo grapes are a great bridge between the Old and New Worlds. Our Tempranillo maintains some earthiness and minerality from its European roots in the background, but leans more toward the lively, fruity and refreshing expressions common in the Americas.


Carolyn’s
Lorenzo’s

Graciano is normally blended into wines like Rioja to add color and depth of flavor. On its own, its rich, opaque color is arresting. The vine in our vineyards tends to be an overachiever, producing rich, opulent wine. Like in Spain, we use it for blending when another member of the cellar needs some gravitas. For our 100% Graciano wine (Mo’s), we pick the best barrels and bottle the best performers on their own.

Cay’s
Jill’s

Oliver’s
Renato’s

Most Grenache comes from the Rhône Valley in France, where it produces high-alcohol rich reds. In our vineyards, we allocate some blocks for Rosé, and we pick those grapes early to benefit from their higher acidity. We age it in 500-liter Puncheons and our concrete egg to keep the integrity of the fruity character.

Cay’s
Ita’s
Renato’s
Stephanie’s

Monastrell originated in Spain centuries ago and is primarily used as a blending grape. It likes warm, dry climates and has small, thick-skinned berries – the textbook combination for making wines with intense color and flavor. Monastrell’s meaty, herby aromas are very distinctive, as are its strong tannins.

Stephanie’s

If Beaujolais is the perfect bistro wine, then Montepulciano is the perfect pizzeria wine. Montepulciano wines are appreciated for their soft flavors and strong color pigments. Gentle tannins and low acidity create a medium bodied wine that can be ready to consume soon after bottling, though Montepulcianos age nicely. We planted our estate in 2019 and from the start they took to the land, showing precocious growth.

Sandra’s

Normally utilized as blending grape in Bordeaux, Petit Verdot is bold and tannic, with flavors reminiscent of baked plums and ripe cherries with herbaceous notes. Petit Verdot wines tend to have a dense, dark appearance due to the high levels of anthocyanins in the berry’s thick skins. They also have high tannin levels, thanks to the small berries creating a high ratio of skin to juice. The vines do exceptionally well in the sandy loam soil common in southern Arizona.

Carolyn’s

Sandra’s

Originating in the southwest of France, Petit Manseng has in its DNA an uncanny ability to retain acidity, yielding whites that are both zippy and structured. Petit Manseng is texturally similar to a rich Chardonnay, but without the weighty and cloying attributes. It also makes for a great blending companion to wines that need some added lift and texture.

Jules’

A white grape of great texture and concentration of flavor, Vermentino imparts refreshing acidity and attractive aromas of peach, lemon peel, dried herbs and a whiff of saline minerality.

Sandra’s
Jules’

Tannat is a powerful red varietal which boasts some of the highest polyphenols (antioxidants) of all red wines. Well-suited to growing in southern Arizona, Tannat produces wines with juicy flavors and a dense and generous finish.

This heavy-duty grape produces deeply-pigmented red wines with an intensely fruity character. These are bold powerhouse wines, and some of most concentrated ones Italy produces. It is soft and needs very little aging, though it can cellar well for up to 10 years. You’ll notice that in our vineyard, our Teroldego vines are vigorous and reach for the sky.

Originally from Spain, but more pervasively grown in the south of France, Carignan tends to be between light and medium bodied, and resembles a richer and spicier Pinot Noir. It is late-budding, vigorous, and hearty, and grows exceptionally well in southern Arizona.

Grown in Montenegro, Vranac produces dense, deeply-colored red wines with flavors and aromas which range from sour cherry, blackberry and blackcurrant to chocolate, mint and vanilla. It is no surprise that Vranac is translated to ‘Black Stallion,’ giving a good indication of the wine’s character. Think of it as a Zinfandel on steroids. Long story short: It grows great in our little place in the world.

Arizona reminds me of the warmer regions of Spain, of Ribera del Duero, Navarre and Toro –

places with great radial energy and high-desert shifts in temperature and intensity. Domestically, it bore a resemblance to Washington state as well, though those wines tend to have more acid. The best Arizona wines have a granular texture and mineral character that makes me think of the varied soils of the region, not to mention a fine alkali tang in some of the wines from Willcox