Starting off the final two-thirds of Sippin’ September we have the Winery 1912 Tasting Room in Sedona. Winery 1912’s slogan is “Taste Arizona First”, and the label only makes wine from the Spanish grape varieties that were originally smuggled from Spain by Jesuit priests. Their wines are really good, and put a modern spin on old world concepts.
Winery 1912 is just one label owned by John McLoughlin, who also owns the Cellar 433 and Angel Envy brands among others. John owns Dragoon Mountain Vineyard near Wilcox, which started two decades ago. Amazingly, the vineyard contains over ninety different varieties of grapes, which is one of the most in the country if not the world. All of the Winery 1912 wines are estate grown, and really show the characteristic of Arizona’s unique soil and growing conditions.
Speaking of Arizona vineyards, I can’t believe I’ve gone over twenty days without talking about the Wilcox AVA. Situated at about 4500 feet in elevation, the region’s climate is similar to other areas, but features Arizona’s unique soil composition which makes it ideal for growing grapes. The other two major areas for viticulture in Arizona are the Sonoita AVA, and the Verde Valley, in case you were curious.
This was our first time in the tasting room. The Winery 1912 tasting room is located right in Uptown Sedona, which is extremely busy on the weekends. We braved the traffic of Sedona to be there right when they opened, since parking in uptown is hard to find most days and requires a bit of luck.
I have to say I really liked the tasting room. It features elegant decor that seems classy, yet fits into the feel of Sedona. There is actually quite a bit of seating, as well as a really long tasting bar. The entire back wall is floor to ceiling glass with great views of the Red Rocks and Snoopy’s Belly. All in all, it’s a really nice and relaxing space to enjoy some wine.
Ok, let’s get to what we really care about, the wine. They do their tastings a bit different, it’s $10 for three wines, or six wines for $15 so it’s slightly higher than average but not overly expensive. The have six whites and six reds currently on the menu, and not surprisingly they use the Spanish names for the varietals. One caveat is that they have a note on their menu that specifies tastings cannot be split, which is the first time I’ve seen that declarative.
The wines themselves were all really good. Here is what we tasted, and my thoughts on each.
- 2016 Garnacha (Grenache) – It was really good, and easy drinking
- 2016 Tempranillo – Super strong on the nose initially, but lessens quickly. It’s a very nice temp.
- 2015 Mataro (Spanish for Mourvèdre) – A very nice wine. Not the best I’ve had, but better than most.
- Ferdinand (non-vintage) – This Sangiovese blend was pretty jammy initially, which is surprising for a Sangiovese. It did taper down after a few sip so it was not “too” jammy. Overall it was a really easy drinking wine.
- Cresta Roja (non-vintage) – This is their twist on a Spanish blend using Garnacha, Graciano, and Marselan. Pretty good, but not as good as the next one.
- 2016 Cresta Cobre – This was our favorite, a really, really nice Graciano blend with Primitivo. So good we bought two bottles. It was really smooth, with balanced flavors and tannins.
All of their reds are $32 a bottle, which is downright reasonable for the quality. The whites are $22 or under, which is quite a good deal if they are as good as the reds. Did I mention we don’t drink white wine?
I’m really glad we stopped in, as we liked both the venue and the wines. If you want to brave Uptown Sedona, it’s well worth a trip. Stop in, relax with a glass of wine and enjoy the view.
If you have not already, check out yesterday’s feature on Javelina Leap Winery, or check out all of our Sippin’ September features here.
Live Fully. Love Deeply. Drink Well. Travel Beautifully.
— Derek
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