Autumn Sage Vineyards, Elgin AZ - Live Love Drink Travel

Continuing Sippin’ September and heading back to the Sonoita area, today we are featuring Autumn Sage Vineyards in Elgin Arizona. Autumn Sage is the newest vineyard and winery to open on Elgin Road in the Sonoita AVA.

We saw Autumn Sage during last Sippin’ September, however they were not open to the public yet. They did have their sign up and I had assumed they were a grower only. I was happy to hear they were also a winery and had opened their tasting room last February.

Autumn Sage Vineyards sits on 16.5 acres and consists of over seven thousand vines. Like all of Sonoita the vineyard is in the high desert. They grow a variety of grapes including Sagrantino, Albariño, Counoise, Cabernet Franc, Aglianico, and Malvasia Bianca.

Sagrantino is not a grape that is widely known outside of Italy. Autumn Sage is one of the largest producers of Sagrantino grapes in the United States. Apparently there are only about 2500 acres of Sagrantino grown worldwide.

The property is beautiful with amazing views of the surrounding mountains. The grounds contain Autumn Park, which is used as an outdoor event venue or for guests to just enjoy during their tasting. The name comes from the autumn sage plant, native to the southwest, which is dotted all over the property. Overall it is a really nice venue that can be rented for parties, events or weddings.

During our visit the inside tasting room was closed in accordance with Santa Cruz County directives. We did our wine tasting outside. The patio was really nice, however they really need to install some ceiling fans to help circulate air. It was a bit warm that day.

I liked their 2018 Counoise Estate. It seemed very much like a Pinot Noir to me. Next we tried the 2018 Cabernet Franc Estate. I like a good Cab Franc, this one was different than most you get in the Sonoita or Willcox areas.

Next we had the Equinox. This wine is actually a Callaghan wine in an Autumn Sage labelled bottle. It was very fruit forward and I am not a huge fan of this one.

We tried the Birds of Prey. I don’t remember what the grapes were, but I do remember it was aged 4 years in barrel . It smells okay but for me was not really that memorable.

Last up was the 2018 Sagrantino Estate. I was excited to try this one once I heard about its rarity and obscurity. It is honestly unlike any varietal I've tried. It is a very dry wine, it almost takes any moisture out of your mouth. The aroma of the wine I could not identify, maybe some sort of dark berry like a blackberry. It was good, and different.

So how would I rate Autumn Sage Vineyards? The two tasting room associates Taylor and Jacqueline were friendly and knowledgeable. I really like the place, it’s a great venue. We might have stayed longer, but were getting hot without any breeze or air circulation.

I didn’t find any of the wine compelling enough to take home. I considered the Sagrantino since I liked it, but at almost $50 a bottle I ultimately declined.

Owner Stephen Basila came in while we were tasting, but seemed to bypass all the patrons for the regulars with whom he was engrossed in conversion. At the neighboring Deep Sky Vineyards, owner Kim Asmundson will visit every group to ask if they need anything and are enjoying their time. This would be a nice touch to add, especially for a new vineyard.

Next time we are in Sonoita I think we would visit them again. They definitely have some of the nicest grounds of all the area vineyards. Stop in and give them a try.

Be sure to check out tomorrow's feature, Flying Leap Vineyards. You can read yesterday's article on Vino Zona, or see all of our Sippin’ September articles here.

Living, loving, drinking, and traveling through life.

— Derek