Barrel tasting at Canelo Hills Vineyard & Winery

First of all, I have to apologize for taking so long to write this post! It has been a very busy time getting the next magazine issue ready for print! We have been attending many fun wine related events so I will be posting a few posts today - be sure to read them all!

August 2nd, 2008 Josh and I attended a barrel tasting at Canelo Hills Vineyard and Winery on Saturday night after we left AugustFest in Sonoita. We got there just in time for the tasting. We were able to start with a sample of their current bottling before the barrel tasting began.

Tim and Joan Mueller are great people who are working very hard to create GREAT wine. They established their vineyard in 2003. They have 10 acres and work as a team. Joan grows the grapes while Tim makes the wine. They have been sourcing their grapes from sources in Southern Arizona until their grapes were ready to produce wine - and they are almost there! Well, their grapes are there - they are just waiting to be unveiled from their barrels! Two of the tastes we had were from their estate and they were very good!

As always, here's my disclaimer . . . I am in no way an expert on wine tasting. These are my unrefined opinions and we brought in some from the other folks who participated with us. Please be sure to taste the wines on your own and find your favorites - they may be completely different from ours!

We started with a Sangiovese, Clone 2, from Sweet Sunrise Vineyard in Willcox, AZ. It was light & peppery. I thought it was very nice. Next we tried a Sangiovese from Sweet Sunrise but it was a Brunello Clone . . . this was a traditional fruity Sangiovese with a bit of earthiness. I liked the other Sangiovese better, but Josh liked this one the best!

Then we tried a Syrah (also Sweet Sunrise) that had been aged in three-year-old neutral American oak. You could really taste the oak in this one. If you ever get a chance to "barrel taste" with the winemaker - do it! You learn so much about the winemaker - and you also get a chance to learn how different types of aging affect the flavor of the wine! It's truly amazing. One of the gals that had been to the barrel tasting the week before said that she could really tell that the wines were coming of age - even with just one week more in the barrel.

The Zinfandel (Sweet Sunrise) was aged in a new American oak barrel. This one was oaky and jammy and tasted like chocolate when eaten with the cheddar cheese! Josh found it to be a bit tart.

Now we were in for a treat! The two estate wines we tasted were really something else. They were both aged in new European oak barrels and have us so excited that we pre-ordered some before their release! The first was a Tempranillo. Honestly, I don't normally care that much for Tempranillo - however, this one was much more bold than the ones I've had in the past. Its depth came out in the end with a fruit flavor and a bit of caramel. Very red! The second estate wine we tasted was a Syrah that had a floral nose and tasted a bit like vanilla. We tasted a slight tannic flavor to both - but not in a bad way! We really loved these two wines!

All around, it was a great time with a nice small group of people. Tim was able to share stories of the wines and answered our questions. If you get a chance to join them for future events - be sure to do so! www.canelohillswinery.com