About Our Vineyard

Unique Terroir

What makes this area so special? 40 miles north of the Mexican border, the Vineyard lies at 4300 feet above sea level. The soil is an almost perfectly PH- balanced well-drained sandy loam. This altitude yields day temperatures identical to the Rhone Valley, with high-desert cool nights, perfect for grape-ripening (average summer high, June, 96 degrees, dropping more than 30 degrees at night to the low ‘60s). With scarce rainfall, the vines are individually irrigated from our wells, giving us complete control over moisture and nutrient application. The land is inexpensive, it’s disease free: there is no Texas Root-Rot in this location, and there has never been Phyloxera in the State of Arizona.

Research on high altitude wines in Argentina has demonstrated Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec at high altitude show increased intensity, density and structure, and a richness in healthful phenols, such as quercetine and resveratrol, indicative of compounds found in wines made from grapes grown under stressful conditions.

They taste bloody good and they’re good for you, too!

The Wines

I am committed to making regional wines, wines from this place. We do not import grapes or wine. The wines we make come from this region, I know we can make phenomenal wines from this vineyard. The reds are distinctively fragrant, powerful and complex, and the whites have a unique viscous quality, with pronounced tropical fruit characters. I am partial to Rhone varieties, and want to plant Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Malvasia and Viognier. One of my ambitions has always been to make a great Arizona Chateauneuf, and here we have what it takes.

This terroir has demonstrated brilliance for many other grapes and wines. Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Sangiovese and even Sauvignon Blanc do remarkably well here, but I am particularly interested in exploring Mediterranean varieties, particularly Rhone, Spanish and Italian varieties in the future.

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About Our Wine About Us

Sam has released the 2010s at our Tasting Room in Historic Old Town Cottonwood. We invite you to try these new blends. Read more about them below.
See you at the Tasting Room.

"I am committed to making regional wines exclusively from Arizona. We import neither grapes nor wine. The wines we make come from this region only." Sam Pillsbury

Sam is working on the latest batch of fresh picked red grapes.

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WildChild Red $20

Alc. 12.9%. 70% Merlot, 30% Zinfandel. Our Merlot pick came in fragrant but lighter than expected, and we wanted a fruit forward red, so we ventured to neighbor Golden Rule Vineyards and picked some very ripe Zinfandel to balance it out…great theory but lo and behold, it worked: this beauty has a cherry nose, blackberry and conifer notes, hints of peach, soft tannins and a walnutty finish. Great cocktail sipper, or with red meats or BBQ. Not yet rated.

389 Cases Produced

WildChild White $20

Alc. 12.7% 65% Chenin Blanc, 21% Riesling, 14% Pinot Grigio.
This easy drinking summer white has tropical coconut and banana on the nose and in the mouth hints of Meyer Lemon and melon, finishing with a soft, supple mouthfeel. It will pair nicely with chicken and seafood, try with a Waldorf Salad or any salad with fruit and nuts. Not yet rated.

350 Cases Produced

*People choice Gold Medal Winner at AWGA Event*

Rosé

‘One Night Stand’ $20

Alc. 12.9% Classic dry Provençal style Rosé, Sangiovese and Zinfandel cool fermented slowly in stainless steel. Perfect summer sipper, fragrant with hints of geranium, watermelon and strawberry. Goes with everything from sea bass to BBQ. Not yet rated.

144 Cases Produced

*Winner of Wines of Distinction award*

Viognier $36

Alc. 13.1% This wine gives us goose bumps when we raise a glass to our nose. We put this through partial ML for the first time and we have a dry but seductive, creamy wine that exudes lemon/orange/cinnamon oil, starfruit, banana chip and tropical flower. Hand harvested and whole bunch-pressed, this high-desert fruit was aged for 8 months in neutral American and French oak. We like this with anything Asian (except curries), salads, and seafood or chicken dishes with delicate aromatic additions like fruit or toasted hazelnuts. Not yet rated.

Limited Availability.

84 Cases Produced

Chardonnay $30

Alc. 13.9% I tasted a Chardonnay made from these high-altitude desert vines 12 years ago, it was so good I started a vineyard next door. This Chard is made from those very vines. Hand picked and whole bunch pressed, inhibited ML to keep it spare and clean, stirred on the lees to enhance the fruit, and aged in neutral American and French oak for 11 months. We get pear and shortbread, marzipan, jasmine and white flower…we just love this with seafood, chicken, creamy pastas and fresh salads. Not yet rated. 2009 Chardonnay- 88 points, Mark Tarbell, AZ Republic.

Limited Availability.

120 Cases Produced

Pinot Gris $24

‘Casa Blanca’ Alc. 12.9% We nicknamed this ‘Casa Blanca’ because wine made from these vines was twice served at White House State Dinners. For the first time we put this high desert-grown wine through ML, and it shows…voluptuous and aromatic, we get apricot, hazelnut, lychee, amaretto, and Crème Brulée. This will sip beautifully chilled, pair with Asian foods, scallops marinated in lime and peach juice, or with a fresh salad with fruit or a fruity vinaigrette dressing. Not yet rated.

166 Cases Produced

WildChild White $18

Sold Out

100% Arizona grown.
Newest release, an aromatic dry white wine from a neighboring wild vineyard we found dotted with crop circles; a field blend of Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia and Muscat to which we added more Malvasia, and Roussanne from neighbor Colibri vineyards. Super fragrant explosive nose of lychee, jasmine, honeysuckle and frangipani, with fresh pineapple, pear and lime in the mouth, finishing very fresh and clean. 88pts

245 Cases Produced

Given 90pts by Mark Tarbell

ROAN RED 2009 $26

A Rhone-style Blend

63% Grenache, 12% Syrah, 25% Mourvedre

ALC 13.8% By Volume

This medium-bodied dry wine is made from hand-picked single vineyard grapes we planted in a high desert valley, and matured in neutral American Oak for 12 months. Delicate and fragrant, it has a nose of white flower and spice, a fresh, clean palate with red cherry, sandalwood, nutmeg and cinnamon, finishing with soft tannins and a hint of toasty oak.

Best served with salmon or seabass, pasta, and casseroles.

400 Cases Produced

DIVA 2009 $36

45% Mourvedre, 44% Petit Sirah, 11% Syrah

ALC 15.3% By Volume

This plumy, luscious wine was made from a single-vineyard vines we planted in a high altitude mountain valley in Cochise County, Arizona in the year 2000.

At 4300 feet our temperatures are moderated: we get snow in the winter, the nights are dramatically cool and the extra UV we get adds unique color, nose and flavor to our wines. These grapes were hand harvested and then fermented in small batches, aged in neutral American Oak and a modest amount of French Oak. This wine is made to be paired with food. We like it with robustly flavored chicken, pasta or roasted meats.

*Winner of Wines of Distinction award*

Shiraz 2010 $45

I grew up in New Zealand drinking NZ whites and Aussie Shiraz, so I wanted to try an Aussie Shiraz clone in our new vineyard in the Chiricahuas. This is a potent red but without that charactistic Shiraz 'jammyness, hand-picked and aged 10 months in neutral and American oak. Our first wine from our new vines, we get heaps of bosenberry and plum, black cherry and berry reduction.

Great with red meat and game.

50 cases made.

Information About Our Last Seasons Wine Releases 2009