Noisy Water Winery

Wine Of The Week - 2018 Petite Sirah by Amy Bennett

Petite Sirah has a long, convoluted history. It was born in the 1870s, created by Dr. Francois Durif, a French nurseryman who wanted to create a grape that had the flavor of Syrah and the mildew-resistance of a varietal called Peloursin. He succeeded and named it “Durif”, but the grape never became a major French varietal. The grape migrated to the United States where it became a blending grape that did well in the California climate. The name “Durif” got lost along the way and someone decided that—due to the Syrah-like flavor and the small size of the grape—Petite Sirah was a good name for it.

But there is nothing small about the flavor of this particular wine!

Noisy Water Winery took Petite Sirah grapes, grown in the southern part of the state, and produced a wine with explosive dark fruit and snappy pepper on the nose; a rich, jammy blueberry middle; and a smooth vanilla finish from 15 months in French oak. The result is a full-bodied wine with strong tannins which pairs beautifully with steaks or any beef-centered meal. Try it with prime rib for a holiday dinner!

This ain’t our first rodeo with this particular varietal… Noisy Water made a Petite Sirah a few years back that was big, bold, and delicious and this one is even better! 

“Zinfandel and Malbec, take a seat… the big dog has arrived”
— The Society of Wine Educators

Join the Winemakers for a interactive online tasting of 2018 Petite Sirah, available on January 27th!

Get 20% Off when you purchase up to 6 bottles between now and the release!

As was typical of 2020, the days ran together with the result that I totally missed a very important wine holiday that occurs about the third week of November: Beaujolais Nouveau Day.

Wait, what does all of that have to do with Noisy Water’s Nuevo Nouveau? Well, Nuevo Nouveau IS Noisy Water’s proprietary Beaujolais Nouveau, which is typically the first wine of the harvest, meant to be drunk immediately after production. This is because, back in the old days of wine making, by the time harvest season rolled around, the wine from the year before had already run out… and folks like to have wine! So around the middle of November, after the first fruits of the harvest had been crushed and fermented, the red wine made from Gamay grapes in the Beaujolais region of France were ready to grace the tables and keep people happy until the other wines had time to age and be ready for drinking.

Noisy Water’s 2019 Nuevo Nouveau has special meaning for our winemaker: after taking on a neglected vineyard in what appeared to be an inhospitable region of New Mexico and breathing new life into dying vines, the first fruits of what came to be known as the Forbidden Desert vineyard became our first proprietary wine. Instead of Gamay, Pinot Noir grapes were used to create what we affectionately referred to as our “Thanksgiving wine”—released in time to celebrate Thanksgiving and Beaujolais Nouveau day, with a bright burst of ripe berries on the palate, medium bodied and low on tannins but with a spark of acidity reminiscent of cranberries.

Though it’s been a few months since our “new” wine was released, it has mellowed a bit but still calls to mind ripe fruit on a sunny day and can make any meal a reason to give thanks!

“For everyday, we like Beaujolais, Grenache or Syrah, and we like a lot of it! It's a family tradition: We would never consider having a meal without wine”
— Jacques Pepin, French chef

Notes from the Winemaker!

Wine Of The Week - Sweet Temptation by Amy Bennett

Of all temptations, what could be more compelling than to skip dinner and go straight to dessert?

Sweet Temptation is Noisy Water Winery’s classic port-style wine. Created from a blend of Barbera and Dolcetto grapes with an infusion of brandy, this dark, rich dessert wine boasts of a fruitiness reminiscent of cherries and raisins on the nose and ends with a decadent vanilla finish and a hint of chocolate. 

Port-style wines are typically served with desserts because of their sweetness and higher alcohol content. However, Sweet Temptation makes an excellent wine to serve with a cheese course or appetizer as well; it's full-bodied, but not overpowering sweetness, makes it an excellent pairing for a Brie and walnut tart or a variety of rich, pungent cheeses and smoked, salted nuts. It also makes a wonderful “stand-alone” dessert course, with only fresh strawberries or raspberries and some dark chocolate, to finish up a sumptuous meal.

Sweet Temptation won a Double Gold medal at Fingerlakes International Wine Competition! So in this case, be led to temptation… it’s well worth the trip!

“I can resist everything except temptation”
— Oscar Wilde

Notes from the Winemaker!

Wine Of The Week - 2018 Montepulciano by Amy Bennett

Montepulciano… few grape varietals evoke the romance of Italian wines, or inspire one to create a rich, poetic meal to share with friends and family. Well, feel free to tap your inner chef, we’ve got you covered on the wine!

Grown in southern New Mexico, Montepulciano is a harmonious balance of modern winemaking techniques with an overarching Old World theme. While many associate the name “Montepulciano” with a certain region in Italy and the wines that are produced there, Noisy Water has taken the namesake varietal and created a wine with a medium body (so as not to overwhelm the food with which it is served) and an explosive bouquet of sweet cherries, tobacco, and rich plum. Soft tannins and complex acidic notes make this wine as easy to drink on its own as with a meal.

Pair it with an Italian seafood dinner swimming in a rich tomato sauce or serve it with a lighter, grilled meal in the warmer months. It’s an excellent dry red for warmer weather as well as cool evenings, not to heavy on tannins and with a bright, almost cranberry finish. Whenever you decide to open a bottle of Noisy Water’s 2018 Montepulciano, I guarantee it will make the moment memorable!

“Anni e bicchieri di vino non si contano mai
(Age and glasses of wine should never be counted).”
— Italian proverb
 

Notes from the Winemaker!

Two years ago, Noisy Water Winery ventured into new territory… after nearly ten years of creating wines from grapes from other vineyards and growers, our winemaker acquired one of the largest vineyards in the state and started growing his own fruit. Despite the fact it was sadly neglected and in need of a lot of TLC, he took it, named it “Forbidden Desert Vineyard”, put it under the care of a master grower, and coaxed a harvest from 30-year-old vines. 

2019 Double Barrel Reserve Chardonnay, the fruit of that first harvest, was fermented in oak and aged in French oak barrels, giving it a definite oak profile that is characteristic of Chardonnays. A hint of fruit on the nose leads into a balanced, buttery finish of vanilla that calls to mind rich, baked Golden Delicious apples. 

Chardonnays are commonly thought of being the quintessential Thanksgiving Day wine, but our  Double Barrel Reserve Chardonnay will not be confined to a particular season or holiday. The buttery finish matches that of rich seafood dishes like crab, halibut, and linguine with clams or a decadent pork tenderloin with apples. Raise a glass and see the light shine through its clear, golden depths and bask in the glow of a truly fabulous wine!

“…a big voluptuous chardonnay is like Marilyn Monroe -round, bosomy - you can remember that chardonnay…”
— Karen MacNeil, author of “The Wine Bible”

Notes from the Winemaker!