While we were on our honeymoon, I somehow convinced my husband (the obstinate beer man) to venture over to the Canyon Wind Cellars tasting room in Georgetown, Colorado. Canyon Wind's vineyard is located in Palisade, Colorado, where they produce a wide variety of wines using sustainable (eco-friendly) practices. While my hubby stood by (obviously bored with the wine talk), I sampled several of Canyon Wind's red varieties. Keep in mind that I only had a couple of sips of each and didn't bring my wine journal along with me, so I won't be able to go into much detail about the nuances of each one. Also, since I wasn't able to do a "proper" tasting of these wines, I'm not going to assign a grade to them--I simply don't remember enough about each one.
Merlot
Described by the maker as "One of our most successful and popular wines...The nose has nice scents of cherry and cedar. A medium bodied, balanced red with a soft full mouth feel. This wine is perfectly suited for a picnic or a black tie dinner," this was a fairly straightforward, balanced merlot. Nothing "off" about this one; it was pleasant to both the nose and the mouth. I'm sad I left without picking up a bottle of this one, especially since Canyon Wind only ships within Colorado.
Syrah
"A wonderfully intense version of this popular varietal with a deep, rich color. Coffee and fruit aromas abound. On the palate it is a well balanced, and richly flavored wine with a long finish. Perfect for hearty meats and stews." This wine had a much more powerful quality than the merlot; there was nothing delicate about it. That's not to say it was unpleasant in any way; it would simply require a similarly substantial food to stand up to its intense flavors.
Tempranillo
"This red wine is originally from northern Spain and has now found a home in Colorado. A lighter red with a nose of bright cherry, smoke, and spice." Although Canyon Wind only offers this short and simple description, this wine is arguably deserving of much more. It was a delightfully spicy red wine, and evoked the sultriness of its country of origin. The man behind the counter suggested pairing this one with Mexican or Italian food, both of which I can see this one working beautifully with. This one impressed me so much that I decided to buy a bottle of it to take home, so I'll be reviewing it in more detail in the future.
Petit Verdot
"One of the noble Bordeaux varietals. This wine is a dark, tannic, and rich with exceptionally deep color, great weight and structure. A must try...with great pepper overtones!" Out of all the wines I tasted at Canyon Wind, this one was without a doubt the most interesting one. The gentleman behind the counter instructed me to really take my time with this one, and rightfully so. He told me to imagine what a rose would taste like if it was melted into a wine...And that is exactly what this one tasted like! Now I'll be the first to say that eating (or drinking) a rose never sounded appealing, but against all odds, this wine pulls it off. It was a little too different for my taste, but it was definitely an adventure in and of itself!
Desert Rosé
"Based on our Cabernet varietal, this Rosé has a beautiful youthful color. Bright fruit aromas of strawberries and raspberries burst from the glass. On the palate there is an array of red berry flavors. The balancing acid provides a nice crisp finish making this wine a drink for all occasions." This was the last wine I tasted, and was also the sweetest by far. Marked as Canyon Wind's dessert wine, this rosé was intensely fruity with overtones of red berries both on the nose and the palate. Although it arguably lacked the complexity of the other wines Canyon Wind offers, it had an innocent appeal that can't be denied...I bought two bottles of this variety, one for myself and one as a gift for my mom!
