Noisy Water Winery

June is a magical month; the first month of summer, not quite unbearably hot, yet still making one yearn for something light and cool. Our 2019 Chenin Blanc fills the bill quite nicely!

30+ year old vines in our Forbidden Desert vineyard in Engle, New Mexico have provided our winemaker with a bounty of grapes that have become wines with a special place in the glasses of our guests and in their hearts as well. Chenin Blanc is a varietal that lends itself to drawing its flavors and character from the terroir and the skill of the winemaker and this wine is a perfect example of New Mexico land and people making their mark on the final product.

Notes of tart pear, lemon verbena, and refreshing honeydew melon dance on the tongue with this remarkably well-balanced wine. With a bold, citrusy body and finish, it’s the perfect wine to serve on a warm summer night. Pair it with crisp salad, fresh fruit, or grilled chicken or salmon to showcase the bright flavors and light acidity.

Pour a glass of 2019 Chenin Blanc and let summer begin!
 

“There are moments, above all on June evenings, when…
nothing is left but wine and the touch of a hand”
— Charles Morgan

Notes from the Winemaker!

“What’s YOUR favorite wine?” I often get asked by customers in the tasting room as they gaze at the rows of bottles on the shelves. I usually pause; this question is like being asked which of your children is your favorite. The answer usually depends on the kind of day you’re having.

Lately, most of my days point me in the direction of Noisy Water Winery’s 2019 Pinot Noir Rosé. Made with grapes from our own Forbidden Desert Vineyard (which seems to be particularly favorable to Pinot Noir), this wine is a perfect companion to just about every occasion. Whether it’s meeting with friends for a casual lunch or a more formal dinner or just lounging in front of the TV binge-watching with snacks, this rosé provides the finishing touch.

Twelve hours of skin contact during the maceration process gives just the right touch of dryness while imparting a beautiful, rosy sunset shade of pink. Bittersweet berries on the nose, with a touch of earthiness and character from the land where the grapes are grown, smooth out into a crisp finish of citrus and a burst of berry flavor. Refreshing and easy to sip, it pairs well with everything you can think of!

“Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”
— Paul Coelho

Notes from the Winemaker!

Warmth and color… what better way to describe one of our most unusual and intriguing wines?

But first, pop quiz time: What is the official state question of New Mexico? Well, if you’ve dined in almost any Mexican restaurant—Old or New—in the state, you know the first question you’re asked after you name your meal choice is, “Red or green?” And never one to shy away from our New Mexico heritage, Noisy Water Winery offers the option in wine form!

Rojo Caliente—“Red Hot”—red chile wine is our ever-popular counterpart to our Besito Caliente green chile wine. But not content enough with our regular red blend and Chimayo red chile, our winemaker decided to ramp up the heat a little! Though the same blend, Rojo Caliente Reserve doubles down on the amount of Chimayo red chile in this specialty wine. If you enjoyed the “red hot” candies of your youth, you’ll appreciate this “kick in the glass”!

Hints of sweet berries mingle with the spicy tongue-tingling heat of red chile in this wine that pairs wonderfully with an appetizer of various cheeses or a decadent dessert that features chocolate and sweet fruit. What better way to spice up any late-spring celebrations than with this delightfully different wine? Stock up now to heat up the coming summer months!

“May is the most beautiful month of the year, a month alive with warmth and color.”
— Lillian Berliner

Notes from the Winemaker!

There are two holidays which call for family gathering with a formal, sit-down dinner in the Bennett household. Thanksgiving is one, the other is Easter. And both call for a fuller-bodied white wine. Yes, Chardonnay, the traditional Thanksgiving dinner wine, is perfect for a late-autumn get-together with a rich, turkey dinner. But Chardonnay on a crisp spring day with a roast pork dinner?

Noisy Water Winery’s 2019 Skin-Fermented Chardonnay is the perfect foil for any springtime meal. No, it’s not really “orange”, nor does it have an orange nose or taste. “Orange” refers to the process of fermenting white wines with the skins in contact with the juice (a process not typically done with white wines) which give the wines a slight orange hue and a slightly tannic finish, also not typical of white wines. The result is a medium-bodied white wine, not so heavy for warm, sunny days, but with cozy nuances of butter and quince which pair beautifully with a cool April breeze.

Our 2019 Skin-Fermented Orange Chardonnay is the fruit of a labor of love, from our Old Vine Chardonnay grown in our own Forbidden Desert Vineyard in Engle. Neglected 30-year-old vines were brought back to life by loving hands and their fruit converted into a delicious wine which is perfect all year round. It’s the season of rebirth and sipping our Chardonnay is like having a golden springtime in your glass!

“As much as I love crisp, clean whites, there's always a time for rich but balanced Chardonnays”
— Gary Vaynerchuk, entrepreneur

Notes from the Winemaker!

If you like sweet wines… if you love luscious, juicy berries… if you crave the comfort of a rich berry cobbler… Noisy Water Winery has just the thing for you!

Jo Mamma’s Very Berry Good is one of the newest additions to the Noisy Water Winery line of Jo Mamma’s sweet table wines. Similar to our flagship sweet red, Jo Mamma’s Red, Very Berry Good lives up to its name with a nose of rich, dark berries and a sweet, medium bodied finish.

Jo Mamma’s Very Berry Good has done a “berry” good job of coaxing the sweetness of the grapes and creating a wine that is both fruity and complex, a hint of spiciness at the finish that makes it a perfect wine to pair with a cheese platter, fresh fruits, even summer salads ranging from pasta to chicken to fruit.

Pop the cork and inhale the aromas of summer berries and the promise of bright summer days… then pour yourself a glass and taste how “berry” good life can be!

“I love berries! Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, anything with an ‘errie’ in it”
— Jordin Sparks, “American Idol” winner and songwriter

Notes from the Winemaker!

When Noisy Water Winery acquired the Forbidden Desert Vineyard in Engle, New Mexico, it also acquired a treasure trove of “old vines”, some of them 30 years old. Among these are the vines that produce Chenin Blanc and, as a result, some of our first proprietary wines!

Chenin Blanc is a grape from the Loire Valley of France and is versatile enough to be used to make sparkling wines as well as sweet dessert wines. The natural vigor of the grapes can produce wines that are bland and neutral if not controlled by a loving “grape whisperer” who can draw out the right balance of acidity and fruitiness to create a wine that is both memorable and easy to drink.

We took our grapes and created a crisp, dry white wine with deep citrus notes and subtle touches of sweetness. Tart pear, honeydew melon, persimmon, and nuances of lemon verbena lead into a bold, citrus body and finish… perfect to pair with rich, buttery seafood dishes and sunny days that culminate in warm evenings.

So pour a glass of Chenin Blanc and look forward to summer days!
 

“It’s hard not to love Chenin Blanc.”
— Madeline Puckette, Wine Folly

March heralds the start of spring, leaving winter in the past, but not quite yet basking in the summer heat. What wine to drink at this time of the year? Not a heavy red, which warms cold, snowy days, but still not quite a crisp white to savor on summer evenings….

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 summer, not to heavy on tannins and with a bright, almost cranberry finish. Whenever you decide to open a bottle of Noisy Water’s Montepulciano, I guarantee it will make the moment memorable!
 

“In March, winter is holding back and spring is pulling forward. Something holds and something pulls inside of us too.”
— Jean Hersey

Notes from the Winemaker!

Well… what more needs to be said? One only has to look at the faces of the people who sample Noisy Water’s 2019 Reserve Pinot Noir to know that it’s love at first sip!

Just a few months ago (August, to be exact) we were extolling the virtues of our 2017 Reserve Pinot Noir. In that time, we sold out in time for the release of our 2019 vintage and this one is especially special for us: 30-year-old vines from our own Forbidden Desert vineyard in Engle produced the grapes that make this wine, thanks to the loving care of “Uncle Dick”, the “grape whisperer.”

Aged for thirteen months in toasted 100% French oak barrels, our winemaker has coaxed a fuller bodied, jammy wine with explosive cherries and dark fruit with a bold and rustic tannic finish with nuances of vanilla. Perfect for sipping around a cozy fire on a winter night, it offers promise of warm summer evenings to come and delicious lighter meals to pair with its provocative fruitiness. It’s almost TOO easy to enjoy.

Warm up with a bottle of our 2019 Reserve Pinot Noir and make memories to savor

“I would so marry Pinot. You can enjoy it at the opera, or the baseball game. It glistens in any crystal goblet but dazzles in a jelly jar. It’s exactly the kind of wine you’d bring home to mom and then sneak into your room after dinner. Before you blinked, you’d both be on the front porch (you on the swing, it in your glass) waiting for your grandkids to show up.”
— Jeff Bundschu, Gundlach Bundschu Winery

What could be more evocative of “the sweet life” (“la vida dulce”) than a wine that is easy to sip on a cold winter day around a fire or a warm summer evening in the shade of a grape arbor? Add good friends and good food and you have the basis for the creation of one of Noisy Water’s most popular sweet red reserves, La Vida Dulce.

Late harvest wines are those made from grapes that are left on the vine past the peak of their ripeness, resulting in grapes that have a higher sugar concentration and, consequently, produce a sweeter wine. Late harvest Mourvedre is the grape used to create La Vida Dulce. Aging in oak creates sweet notes of vanilla, strawberry, and raspberry on the nose draw you into a luscious, jammy middle and culminate in a sweet but smooth, lighter-bodied finish. 

A popular customer favorite for years, La Vida Dulce is back and better than ever. Enjoy it with a sweet treat on a cold day or use it as a perfect counterbalance to a rich, spicy meal any time of the year. Just remember… 

“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all”
— Laura Ingalls Wilder

Winemaker's Notes!

Join the Winemakers for a interactive online tasting of 2019 La Vida Dulce, available on February 14th!

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

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!