I’m on my way to Albuquerque via Southwest airlines, and it’s a good day. I packed my bags last night, the camera equipment and laptop being the most important. It just so happened that I was a little behind in my wine magazine reading and had the latest two issues, still in plastic wrap, waiting to be read on the plane. Perfect!
This morning before I left the house, I attempted to update my website with the 1997 Sauternes I had last night, but time didn’t permit it. Anyway, there was a taste left in a glass waiting to be swallowed. The details: rich sweet peaches, caramelized bananas with butterscotch topping, and the taste and acidity of a Granny Smith apple. What a delight! Textures of evergreen pine underline the backend to finish. The consistency is thick. This is desert wine at its finest.
On the Internet I discovered that Albuquerque has quite a few wineries to visit, at least enough for a 2 day visit. I’m going to hit the central area vineyards when I get there to see what they have to offer.
I’m 35,000 miles high and reading a wine magazine. The wine-buying guide inside rated the Kendall Jackson Highlands Estate, KJ Taylor Peak Estate, KJ Hawkeye Mountain Estate, KJ Napa Mountain Estate, KJ Trace Ridge Estate, KJ seco Highlands Estate, and some KJ Grand Reserves all over 90 points. Ravenswood’s 04 Zinfandels rated highly also. Some friends and I were discussing how some people base their wine buying strictly on high ratings regardless of price. However, some people have discovered that a high rating is not all it’s cracked up to be. In the wine store last week, a customer came in interested in buying a bottle 04 Caymus, the Napa Valley, not the Special select. Although both of these wines rated highly, and both are very good, the Special select has big tannins and needs decanting, whereas the 04 Napa Valley is ready for consumption now. I love it when consumers purchase products based on their own opinions and not ratings. Nevertheless, ratings should not be completely ignored because they are good indicators. Find a 90+ rated wine, buy it, drink it, see if you agree with the reviewer. If you DO, you may have found a reviewer that you can conform to, but if not, find another reviewer, but remember that your taste buds are the only ones that matter.
Touch down 1 pm mountain time. Out the plane, pick up the rental car, go to the hotel, keys to the room don’t work. It takes about an hour to get the lock fixed, but it’s a nice big room with a king size bed I don’t want a double, so we wait. Now it’s time to eat, and Landry’s is right down the street. The first thing I look at is the wine list. I order the Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, and plan my food around my wine selection. The color of the Ecco is light yellow with a green tint. The nose is a soft floral fragrance with hints of ripe banana. The tongue is tart with lemons, but hints of banana and light vanilla tone it down before a nice finish completes the deal. Calamari to start, then a house salad to wash away the calamari. Tuna steak for the entre, and top it off with a Banana Foster. Cool. A Merlot would have also worked with the Tuna. The Pinot Grigio would have gone well with shrimp or lobster but unfortunately I’m allergic to shellfish (bummer). Anyway, it was all-good. Now to prepare for tomorrow's wine tours.
There are at least 4 wineries in the central Albuquerque area. The hotel that I’m staying in is off I-25 on San Antonio road. Casa Rondena winery is on Chavez road down 229, which is 2 exits south from my hotel (Yes!). I should have no problem finding this one right? Wrong!
Casa Rondena opens at 10am. My wife has to be at the convention center to judge at 8am. I dropped her off, and went on my way. First things first. I’ll find the winery then have breakfast. I go off on exit 229, which leads up Jefferson to Osuna. I drive all the way down Osuna and cannot for the life of me find Chavez. Okay, maybe I missed it. Turn around, look again, still no Chavez. Okay, maybe I read the map wrong. I’ll go up 4th street this time, and make a right turn on Chavez before Osuna. I go back down Jefferson to Montano, make a right on 4th street, drive all the way up to Osuna again somehow missing Chavez. I’ll regroup and stop for breakfast at Whataburger. While waiting for my 2 Whataburgers one with cheese, one without, I look out the door and see a roadrunner eating a mouse. Honest to god I saw Roadrunner eating Speedy Gonzales. I was sure Wile-E. Coyote was lurking somewhere in the bushes waiting with an acme rocket to chase down the stuffed bird. I knock out my meal; slowly drive up 4th street pissing off the drivers behind me because I’m driving in the passing lane. Before I get to Osuna, I get on the phone to call the winery and ask how to get there. “Hello, Casa Rondena, this is Angela”. “Angela, I seem to be having a problem finding your winery. I’m on 4th street between Montano and Osuna, but can’t seem to find Chavez”. She laughs and tells me everyone has that problem because the winery is behind the mall which dead ends from Osuna. “Just go through the mall stay to the left. You’ll come to a stop sign. The winery is about one quarter mile from the stop sign on the right.” Oh, go through the mall! Why didn’t I think to go through the mall?!?
Casa Rondena grows Riesling and Gewrztraminer on site, and purchases red varieties from southern New Mexico. All of the white varieties are matured in stainless steel. We begin the tasting with the 06 Viognier, which goes for $20.00. It’s very nice with solid fruit and steely acidity to balance. Nice blend of pineapple and apricot flavors with a medium body and dry finish. It just so happened that I did a Viognier tasting a month or so ago. I’d have to rate this one at least 8.6 when compared to the others I had. The 06 Casa Rondena Viognier has the dryness of a French Viognier, with a nice taste of fruit showing through, but not as much fruit as the Victor Hugo, and definitely without the oak. We moved on to the 06 Meritage White, which has 3% of Semillon, added to Sauvignon Blanc. The 06 Tricentennial Serenade is a Riesling/Gewurztraminer blend, which was interesting, not as deserty as I thought it would be, thanks to the dry style Riesling. We did a 04 Cab Franc and a 04 Meritage Red, which were both Bordeaux style wines. However, the 03 Sangiovese totally rocked with loads of cranberry, smoky toast, and a long finish. The 05 Clarion is big. A blend of 60% Syrah, 35% Tempranillo, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, it needs decanting. I strolled around the grounds and met an interesting couple from Florida, a retired Marine and his wife. We laughed, had a good time, then I went back inside to purchase 2 each of the 03 Sangiovese, 05 Clarion, and 06 Viognier. Not wanting to waste time getting to my next stop, I asked Angela how to get to Anderson Valley Vineyards. “Oh, that’s easy,” she said, “drive down Chavez and make a left at Rio Grande.”
It’s just after 12 noon. I hop in my car, make a right on Chavez, and a left on Rio Grande, and 5 minutes later I’m there. I hop out of my car, and begin photographing the scenery. Albuquerque is beautiful with cloud-topped mountains and dry winds. A lady came out and asked me if I was coming in or just taking pictures. “Yes, I’m coming in to taste your wines.” “Well, take your time because I’m not ready yet.” “No problem.” About 5 minutes later she’s pouring and giving me the skinny on the vineyard. grapes grown on the vineyard are Baco Noir, Chancellor, Roujon, and Cabernet Sauvignon. We begin with the Chardonnay. It’s okay, loads of tropical fruit, but not fruity, elegant, making for a nice summertime on the deck party sipper. Then we go right into the reds. The Merlot is fat and herbal, which is good. full bodied with tannins to boot. This one will age well. Next, the homegrown Cabernet Sauvignon. There were two, a 03 (or 04, I can’t remember because I didn’t write it down), and a 05, which I did write down because it rocked everything a cab should be with dark aromas, cedar, currant, and a balancing act that would match anything on high wires. Moving on, surprisingly back to the whites and a Johannesburg Riesling. The Johannesburg Riesling has 3% Muscat. I thought it was going to be sweet but it wasn’t. It was a very nice, crisp, semi-sweet refresher. The Muscat, on the other hand had 3% Riesling, exhibited stone fruit flavors, and would be good as an aperitif. Last but not least was the most tasty Cab I’ve ever experienced. The Red Chili Cabernet Sauvignon taste just like chili! I kid you not, just like chili. I’d have to rate the Red Chile Cab a 9 for uniqueness. Unfortunately, I couldn’t have the wines shipped because Tennessee is not on her list. So, I ordered a bottle of the 05 Cabernet Sauvignon, and sat on the deck with a friend from Michigan, and we drank the bottle together. It was very nice.
2 pm, time to pick up my wife from the convention center. I pick her up, and she wants to drive to Santa Fe. I wanted to hit at least one more winery before the day was through, but no problem; she’s been working and needs a break. As we head up I-25 on the right she sees Gruet winery. I swerve off the interstate and back track down the road. Unbelievable.
Gruet specializes in sparkling wines. There’s only one other person at the counter, and she’s well lit. So, we’re sipping sparkling wine, which has it’s roots in Champagne because the founder of Gruet studied wine making techniques there, having a good time, when the other woman mentions that she is from Batesville, Virginia, which is the area where my wife was raised. Small world. The sparkling wines were good, no doubt, but for some reason they didn’t rock. I was hoping for that nth degree of wowness, but it just didn’t happen, that is until I was poured the $18.00 05 Syrah. My god, amidst $46.00
This morning before I left the house, I attempted to update my website with the 1997 Sauternes I had last night, but time didn’t permit it. Anyway, there was a taste left in a glass waiting to be swallowed. The details: rich sweet peaches, caramelized bananas with butterscotch topping, and the taste and acidity of a Granny Smith apple. What a delight! Textures of evergreen pine underline the backend to finish. The consistency is thick. This is desert wine at its finest.
On the Internet I discovered that Albuquerque has quite a few wineries to visit, at least enough for a 2 day visit. I’m going to hit the central area vineyards when I get there to see what they have to offer.
I’m 35,000 miles high and reading a wine magazine. The wine-buying guide inside rated the Kendall Jackson Highlands Estate, KJ Taylor Peak Estate, KJ Hawkeye Mountain Estate, KJ Napa Mountain Estate, KJ Trace Ridge Estate, KJ seco Highlands Estate, and some KJ Grand Reserves all over 90 points. Ravenswood’s 04 Zinfandels rated highly also. Some friends and I were discussing how some people base their wine buying strictly on high ratings regardless of price. However, some people have discovered that a high rating is not all it’s cracked up to be. In the wine store last week, a customer came in interested in buying a bottle 04 Caymus, the Napa Valley, not the Special select. Although both of these wines rated highly, and both are very good, the Special select has big tannins and needs decanting, whereas the 04 Napa Valley is ready for consumption now. I love it when consumers purchase products based on their own opinions and not ratings. Nevertheless, ratings should not be completely ignored because they are good indicators. Find a 90+ rated wine, buy it, drink it, see if you agree with the reviewer. If you DO, you may have found a reviewer that you can conform to, but if not, find another reviewer, but remember that your taste buds are the only ones that matter.
Touch down 1 pm mountain time. Out the plane, pick up the rental car, go to the hotel, keys to the room don’t work. It takes about an hour to get the lock fixed, but it’s a nice big room with a king size bed I don’t want a double, so we wait. Now it’s time to eat, and Landry’s is right down the street. The first thing I look at is the wine list. I order the Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, and plan my food around my wine selection. The color of the Ecco is light yellow with a green tint. The nose is a soft floral fragrance with hints of ripe banana. The tongue is tart with lemons, but hints of banana and light vanilla tone it down before a nice finish completes the deal. Calamari to start, then a house salad to wash away the calamari. Tuna steak for the entre, and top it off with a Banana Foster. Cool. A Merlot would have also worked with the Tuna. The Pinot Grigio would have gone well with shrimp or lobster but unfortunately I’m allergic to shellfish (bummer). Anyway, it was all-good. Now to prepare for tomorrow's wine tours.
There are at least 4 wineries in the central Albuquerque area. The hotel that I’m staying in is off I-25 on San Antonio road. Casa Rondena winery is on Chavez road down 229, which is 2 exits south from my hotel (Yes!). I should have no problem finding this one right? Wrong!
Casa Rondena opens at 10am. My wife has to be at the convention center to judge at 8am. I dropped her off, and went on my way. First things first. I’ll find the winery then have breakfast. I go off on exit 229, which leads up Jefferson to Osuna. I drive all the way down Osuna and cannot for the life of me find Chavez. Okay, maybe I missed it. Turn around, look again, still no Chavez. Okay, maybe I read the map wrong. I’ll go up 4th street this time, and make a right turn on Chavez before Osuna. I go back down Jefferson to Montano, make a right on 4th street, drive all the way up to Osuna again somehow missing Chavez. I’ll regroup and stop for breakfast at Whataburger. While waiting for my 2 Whataburgers one with cheese, one without, I look out the door and see a roadrunner eating a mouse. Honest to god I saw Roadrunner eating Speedy Gonzales. I was sure Wile-E. Coyote was lurking somewhere in the bushes waiting with an acme rocket to chase down the stuffed bird. I knock out my meal; slowly drive up 4th street pissing off the drivers behind me because I’m driving in the passing lane. Before I get to Osuna, I get on the phone to call the winery and ask how to get there. “Hello, Casa Rondena, this is Angela”. “Angela, I seem to be having a problem finding your winery. I’m on 4th street between Montano and Osuna, but can’t seem to find Chavez”. She laughs and tells me everyone has that problem because the winery is behind the mall which dead ends from Osuna. “Just go through the mall stay to the left. You’ll come to a stop sign. The winery is about one quarter mile from the stop sign on the right.” Oh, go through the mall! Why didn’t I think to go through the mall?!?
Casa Rondena grows Riesling and Gewrztraminer on site, and purchases red varieties from southern New Mexico. All of the white varieties are matured in stainless steel. We begin the tasting with the 06 Viognier, which goes for $20.00. It’s very nice with solid fruit and steely acidity to balance. Nice blend of pineapple and apricot flavors with a medium body and dry finish. It just so happened that I did a Viognier tasting a month or so ago. I’d have to rate this one at least 8.6 when compared to the others I had. The 06 Casa Rondena Viognier has the dryness of a French Viognier, with a nice taste of fruit showing through, but not as much fruit as the Victor Hugo, and definitely without the oak. We moved on to the 06 Meritage White, which has 3% of Semillon, added to Sauvignon Blanc. The 06 Tricentennial Serenade is a Riesling/Gewurztraminer blend, which was interesting, not as deserty as I thought it would be, thanks to the dry style Riesling. We did a 04 Cab Franc and a 04 Meritage Red, which were both Bordeaux style wines. However, the 03 Sangiovese totally rocked with loads of cranberry, smoky toast, and a long finish. The 05 Clarion is big. A blend of 60% Syrah, 35% Tempranillo, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, it needs decanting. I strolled around the grounds and met an interesting couple from Florida, a retired Marine and his wife. We laughed, had a good time, then I went back inside to purchase 2 each of the 03 Sangiovese, 05 Clarion, and 06 Viognier. Not wanting to waste time getting to my next stop, I asked Angela how to get to Anderson Valley Vineyards. “Oh, that’s easy,” she said, “drive down Chavez and make a left at Rio Grande.”
It’s just after 12 noon. I hop in my car, make a right on Chavez, and a left on Rio Grande, and 5 minutes later I’m there. I hop out of my car, and begin photographing the scenery. Albuquerque is beautiful with cloud-topped mountains and dry winds. A lady came out and asked me if I was coming in or just taking pictures. “Yes, I’m coming in to taste your wines.” “Well, take your time because I’m not ready yet.” “No problem.” About 5 minutes later she’s pouring and giving me the skinny on the vineyard. grapes grown on the vineyard are Baco Noir, Chancellor, Roujon, and Cabernet Sauvignon. We begin with the Chardonnay. It’s okay, loads of tropical fruit, but not fruity, elegant, making for a nice summertime on the deck party sipper. Then we go right into the reds. The Merlot is fat and herbal, which is good. full bodied with tannins to boot. This one will age well. Next, the homegrown Cabernet Sauvignon. There were two, a 03 (or 04, I can’t remember because I didn’t write it down), and a 05, which I did write down because it rocked everything a cab should be with dark aromas, cedar, currant, and a balancing act that would match anything on high wires. Moving on, surprisingly back to the whites and a Johannesburg Riesling. The Johannesburg Riesling has 3% Muscat. I thought it was going to be sweet but it wasn’t. It was a very nice, crisp, semi-sweet refresher. The Muscat, on the other hand had 3% Riesling, exhibited stone fruit flavors, and would be good as an aperitif. Last but not least was the most tasty Cab I’ve ever experienced. The Red Chili Cabernet Sauvignon taste just like chili! I kid you not, just like chili. I’d have to rate the Red Chile Cab a 9 for uniqueness. Unfortunately, I couldn’t have the wines shipped because Tennessee is not on her list. So, I ordered a bottle of the 05 Cabernet Sauvignon, and sat on the deck with a friend from Michigan, and we drank the bottle together. It was very nice.
2 pm, time to pick up my wife from the convention center. I pick her up, and she wants to drive to Santa Fe. I wanted to hit at least one more winery before the day was through, but no problem; she’s been working and needs a break. As we head up I-25 on the right she sees Gruet winery. I swerve off the interstate and back track down the road. Unbelievable.
Gruet specializes in sparkling wines. There’s only one other person at the counter, and she’s well lit. So, we’re sipping sparkling wine, which has it’s roots in Champagne because the founder of Gruet studied wine making techniques there, having a good time, when the other woman mentions that she is from Batesville, Virginia, which is the area where my wife was raised. Small world. The sparkling wines were good, no doubt, but for some reason they didn’t rock. I was hoping for that nth degree of wowness, but it just didn’t happen, that is until I was poured the $18.00 05 Syrah. My god, amidst $46.00