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

We invite you to try
our 100% Arizona 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. 2010 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.

389 cases made.

Roan Red 2011 $28

Alc 13.9%, Grenache: 45.9%, Mourvedre: 45.9%, Syrah: 8.2%. This high desert grown wine was hand picked from vines we planted and aged 11 months in neutral French and American oak. With a red candy nose and delicate mid-palate, this wine has a long, clean elegant finish, and will pair well with roast lamb, pastas or grilled salmon. Serve cool.

475 cases made.

Diva 2010 $38

Alc 12.9%. 92% Syrah, 8% Petite Sirah. This potent beauty from our Chiricahua Mountain vineyards was hand-picked, then aged for 10 months in neutral American and French oak. Inky dark red and fragrant, we get blackberry on the nose, ripe black fruit on the palate, with hints of burnt match, charcoal, cocoa and green olive. Great with steak or game.

350 cases made.

Chenin Blanc $30

Alc. 12.3%. We usually reserve the Chenin for our WildChild White blend, but this year it was so stunning we pulled some aside to release as a varietal. This single vineyard high-desert grown wine was hand-picked and whole pressed, then aged in neutral oak for 9 months. Clean and crisp with delicate fruit and a hint of spice. This is one great seafood wine, enjoy with fresh oysters in the half-shell.

198 cases made

WildChild White $20

Alc. 13%. 58.1% Chenin Blanc, 10.3% Riesling, 29.1% Pinot Grigio and 2.5% Symphony.
I just love dry aromatics...I stumbled on them years ago and have wanted to make them ever since...here is a version: a fragrant, aromatic blend sourced entirely from neighbors, high-desert valley vineyards. Hand-picked then whole bunch pressed and aged 9 months in neutral oak, this easy drinking wine will drink nicely as a sipper or pair with more robustly flavored fish, chicken or pork dishes and most Asian food.

499 cases made

Rosé ‘One Night Stand’ $20

Alc. 11.7%. 80.6% Bonita Zinfandel, 12.9% Golden Rule Zinfandel and 6.5% ASV Riesling. Fermented bone dry and aged 9 months in stainless steel, this crisp, refreshing wine has hints of strawberry and watermelon, pairs with just about any food from pan-fried flounder to BBQ. Serve chilled.

202 cases made

Viognier $38

Alc. 13.3%. Hand harvested and whole bunch pressed, this single vineyard high-desert fruit was aged for 9 months in neutral oak. A pronounced tropical nose, clean and fresh with hints of frangipani and lychee, this voluptuous wine will pair nicely with delicate seafood, like pan-fried snapper with mango salsa, or try salad with pine nuts and some light fruit.

64 cases made

Symphony $38

Alc. 13.9%. This aromatic varietal, a cross between Grenache Gris and Muscat, is a single vineyard wine, hand-picked and whole bunch pressed, and aged in neutral oak 9 months. Bone dry with pronounced orange marmalade characteristics, this is an impressive sipper, but will pair beautifully with Thai or intense Aisan food, or try my Argentinian mother-in-law's garlicky marinated roast pork. 112 cases made

Pinot Gris $26

‘Casa Blanca’ Alc. 12.4%. Bone dry, this wine is clean and delicate with strong mineral characteristics, wet slate and white tea. Will pair beautifully with shellfish and fish, or any freshly picked salad. We nicknamed this ‘Casa Blanca’ because wine made from these vines was twice served at White House State Dinners. 112 cases made

Chardonnay $32

Alc. 13.9%. This single vineyard wine is sourced from the same vines that first lured me to this remarkable high-desert Terrior more than a decade ago. Hand-picked, whole bunched pressed and aged in neutral oak for 9 months, this bone dry wine is crisp and clean, with hints of white flower, shortbread and citrus. I just love it with grilled salmon or any intense seafood.

95 cases made

Shiraz $45

Alc 13.1%. I grew up in NZ drinking NZ Whites and Aussie Shiraz, so I wanted to try growing an Aussie Shiraz in our High Desert Vineyards in Arizona…we planted Clone 1 back in 2000 and loved the results, seen in our Roan Red and Diva blends. This is an inky-dark potent red, but without that characteristic
Aussie ‘jammymess’, hand-picked and aged 10 months in neutral French and American oak, the first wine from a new block of three-year old Clone 6 vines in our Spanish Bit Ranch Vineyard. We get heaps of boysenberry and plum, black cherry reduction and spice, great with red meats and game.

50 cases made