My wife and I were headed east on I-70, leaving a week of rainy weather in Avon, Colorado, when we took a needed break at an Information and Rest Stop in Georgetown, Colorado. As we exited the interstate, we saw a sign stating “Wine Tasting” on a building close to the Rest Stop. We had plenty of time to make our flight in Denver, so we decided to amuse ourselves by sampling some Colorado wine. In some of our previous travels, we tried Colorado wine before and found they tasted unripe, green and very herbal. But we had a little time to kill, so we drove into the gravel parking lot and stopped by the door of the red brick building.

As we entered the nicely arranged, appropriately decorated, but empty of customers, tasting room, the man at the wine bar welcomed us in. He introduced himself as “Ray” and invited to taste his wines. We had the time and the tasting was free.   Even if the wine was marginal Colorado wine, free is still free. And it would give me a chance to exercise my smell and taste faculties to pick out flavors and flaws in the wine.
 
 
Ray poured his 47-Ten White Wine into my wife’s glass. We took turns smelling and tasting the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc blend. This light bodied wine is primarily Chardonnay that has seen no oak. It had a bright crispness with a light touch of fruit featuring Fuji apple and Bartlett pear followed by a finish of citrus. My wife looked at me, smiled, and almost gasped as she said, “This is good. This is a deck wine.” She was right. This is not what we expected from grape grown and vinified in Colorado. The 47-Ten immediately made us think about a summer evening sitting on our deck.
 
Next, Ray poured his Sauvignon Blanc. It was also a light-to-medium bodied, but balanced, crisp wine. The Sauvignon Blanc teased the nose with tropical fruited tainted wild flowers. Then it followed with gooseberry and finish with spice and grapefruit. 
 
The Rose is a semi-dry wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. This wine exhibits distinctive aromas and flavors of bright cherry and ripe strawberry. The surprising intensity of the fruit and the balanced acidity made me ponder how much residual sugar is really in the wine and how much of the perceived sweetness is the fruit on the palate. I definitely put this in the “deck wine” category.
 
2006 47-Ten Red Wine
 
Named for the altitude of Canyon Wind Estate, this Bordeaux style blend is another example of a very balanced mid-bodied to light-bodied wine. The transparent, vibrant red color belies the level of fruit in this wine. The cherry and strawberry on the initial taste is enhanced with the layers of red plum. It finishes with a trailing moist earth and chocolate. Nicely done.
 
2005 Merlot
 
I keep telling myself that I don’t like Merlot. The truth is, I don’t like poorly made Merlot. See my comments in my prior blog about Merlove. Well made Merlot is awesome. This Merlot is full of red cherry and a bit of plum. The color does not show the typical “purple middle” in the glass, but the flavors are there. The nose carries a surprising bit of cedar or juniper. The tannins are soft and balanced. This would go lovely with a lean piece of grilled steak.
 
 
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon
 
The deepest red color of the tasting, the Cabernet Sauvignon is at most a mid-bodied wine. It is a finessed and refined wine with silky tannins. The initial red and black cherry flavors give way to layers of berry, chocolate, tobacco and sage. On the finish the mocha, coffee and finally a touch of mint and anise linger with the gentle structure of the soft tannins. I would be happy with this Cabernet and a medium-rare rib eye steak. 
 
 
I will admit I was surprised by how good this wine is. Let’s face it; Colorado is not the state you first think of when you think of quality wine production. I know there are some excellent wineries in places other than California, Washington, and Oregon. For example, Gruet makes some very good, and outstanding value, sparking wine using grapes from the hills above Albuquerque, NM. So I dug a little deeper and begin to understand what is going on. Norman, a trained geologist, and Ellen Christianson enlisted the help of Robert Pepi to assist them in making their wines. 
 
Pepi established his chops in the wine industry long ago when he established the Robert Pepi Winery. He replaced the Cabernet Sauvignon in his Oakville vineyard with Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion and Chardonnay. Later he added Sangiovese Grosso, using cuttings from Biondi-Santi in Brunello di Montalcino. Check out www.pepi.com for Pepi’s line up of wines. In 1994, Robert Pepi sold the estate to the Jess Jackson and family who continue to operate it today.
 
With a geologist’s understanding of soil, location, and climate, the Christianson’s chose a spot in Palisade, CO with enough altitude (4710 ft. elevation) to achieve the warm days and cool nights necessary to produce a ripe and balanced wine. The soil is a mineral rich mixture of loose cobblestones and sand. With guidance from Pepi, their decisions what to grow, when to pick and how to vinify, the Christiansons are producing very respectable, food friendly wines. (See their website at www.canyonwindcellars.com) Their wines have been reviewed in Wine Spectator, as well as Wine & Spirits, achieving ratings in the mid to upper 80’s. I will admit, I glossed over these reviews at the time because I really didn’t believe you could make good wine in Colorado. I stand corrected. 
 
I am also eagerly awaiting the mixed case of wine I ordered. I am anxious to taste the Cabernet Franc, the Petite Verdot, the Tempranillo, the Syrah and the oaked Chardonnay that are available, but not being tasted when we stopped by the tasting room. Late breaking change, I received a phone call from the winery that they had just sold out of the Petite Verdot. I did whine and complain because I really wanted to taste the Petite Verdot. Very few producers bottle this as a single varietal. Usually they blend use it to blend with Cabernet Sauvignon based wines. Oh, well, I will write an update blog when I drink these other wines. Until then,
 
Cheers,
 
MikeR

MikeR is a Consultant, Level-1 Sommelier, Independent Journalist and blog contributor to VinVillage.com