Wednesday Wine Tasting: Quivira Vineyards
It's harvest time in Napa and Sonoma, and a lot of grapes have already been plucked from the vines and sent to be crushed, eventually to make their way to your lips anywhere from a year to three years from now as 2009 vintages. In the Dry Creek Valley of northern Sonoma County, last week's super-hot weather has helped move things along and next weekend's Healdsburg Crush Festival is sure to be fun for those who can spring for the $60 tickets.
But for anyone wanting to try some excellent, small-production wines at fairly decent prices, we'd gladly point you to Quivira (pronounced KEE-VEE-ra), on West Dry Creek Road, not far from the Dry Creek Road exit on 101 in Healdsburg. The Quivira Estate was named after the Spanish legend of Quivira Regnum, a mythical kingdom of gold to the north of Mexico. The modern Quivira winery was founded in 1987 and since 2005 they've been producing certified bio-dynamic wines at their solar-powered winery, including Zinfandel, Grenache, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc.
Right now, we would *highly* recommend stopping in to try their Mourvèdre/Viognier Rosé ($20 on sale), which is probably the most bizarre and unique dry rosés we've ever tasted -- full of tobacco and floral notes, with rich tannin structure, a deep plumb color, a distinctly smoky finish. Also worthy of a purchase is the 2006 Grenache, which is 100% Grenache from old vines and far darker and meatier than the average Grenache on the market. And their Zins are nothing to sneeze at either -- our favorite was probably the 2006 Wine Creek Ranch Zin ($34), but the variety among Zins can get pretty subjective.
If you're a fan, you may want to check out their farm-to-table event on October 10th, with some discounts for wine club and Slow Food members. Otherwise, for the funemployed, check out the tasting room seven days a week (except Oct. 10th) for a mere $5, which is waived with any purchase.
PREVIOUSLY: Loxton Cellars
Hess Collection
Preston of Dry Creek
Cline Cellars