Del Rio Springs Vineyard

Del Rio Vineyards "Harvest" 2013

About

Del Rio Springs Vineyard is home of Arizona's cool climate Premium Pinot Noir and associated red and white wine grapes and Grand Reserve wines. We welcome you to visit us!

Location Description

Located in the beautiful Chino Valley.

Features

  • Arizona's Artisan Wines

Additional Information

  • Meeting / Conference Facilities:
  • Caves:
  • Wedding Facilities:
  • Picnic Facilities:
  • Dog Friendly:
  • Winery Tours:
  • Wine Tasting:
  • Art or Architecture:
  • Organic / Biodynamic:
  • Awards:
  • Wine Club:
  • Lodging / Bed & Breakfast:

Average Bottle Price

$ 30

History

Out of a fondness for grapes and fine wines and having owned and operated a boutique winery (Vollbehr Cellars) in eastern Iowa in the 80's, spawned a love for making premium wines. However, this love for wine making was placed on hold while I completed my degree in Public Administration. After serving as Public Works director in Iowa and Oklahoma, I was exhilarated to receive my appointment as Public Facilities and Services Director for the City of Petaluma, CA, right in the heart of Sonoma County wine country.

During my tenure with Petaluma, my wife and I spent the next five years traveling the northern California and Oregon wine country viewing vineyards and sampling my favorite wine, Pinot Noir. Pryor to retiring from Petaluma, we both attended classes at Santa Rosa Junior College on establishing and maintaining a vineyard. Equipped with my wine making experience and our new vineyard training, we decided to make our way back to this beautiful Arizona valley and bring with us the fine traditions of west coast grape growing and wine making.

Our 6 acre vineyard is situated on a highland bench overlooking the striking Black Mesa basin in northern Arizona. It is rimed by the Mingus mountains on the east, the Bradshaw mountains on the south and the Juniper mountains on the west. Some visitors have likened this valleys micro climate to Arizona's new Napa Valley, as it has a similar mountain orientation, combined with the right amount of warm breezy days and cool nights. The altitude of the valley changes the nature of the grape and especially the tannins. The higher you get in elevation, the more the sun radiated, so the tannins are softer and rounder. The acid is also elevated which tends to give the wines a lift. We are much excited about the Chino Valley area as we believe it is one of the most special grape growing places in Arizona.

After many months of preparation we began planting in 2009 with select Pinot Noir clones of 828, 667, 777, 115, Pommard and Martine clone. All of which go into the making of our premier reserve wine. This was followed by plantings of Carménère and Phoenix in 2010, then Vignoles 2011. Our first commercial crush of Pinot Noir and Carménère wine grapes was in the fall of 2013.

Practices & Techniques

Vineyard Criteria:

Before we settled on an Arizona vineyard location, we examined the climate conditions throughout the state such as Growing Degree Days, climate conditions, elevations, and winter temperatures.

The location had to be cold enough in the winter to ensure that we would not have a problem with Pierce’s disease, which will kill grape vines, but warm enough to grow Pinot Noir.

It also had to have low humidity to minimize susceptibility to mildews and mold allowing us to use organic based vineyard practices.

As we started to establish our vineyard blocks we found out that our criteria came with a trade off. Our first plantings of vines were grafted onto 1103P which is a drought tolerant rootstock. However, we noticed after our first winter that we had some loses due to Crown Gaul. After contacting UC Davis, and Vintage Nursery, our vine supplier with our problem, we found out that 1103P was cold tolerant down to about 17 degrees and our winter temperatures were too cold for that variety of rootstock. Our solution was to plant future vines on a cold tolerant Crown Gaul resistant rootstock such as 101.14 or 3309. Subsequent planting have all been grafted onto those two rootstocks.

Description of Black Mesa Basin:

At 4,550 ft above sea level, this basin is defined by both elevation and soil, but it is the unique weather pattern that makes this area truly special. Influenced by the cooling effects of the cool air from the Grand Canyon Flowing through the Ash Fork Gap, just a few miles to our northwest, this cool evening air creeps down into the valley basin, dropping the temperature by 35-40 degrees from the daytime highs.

During the summer months, the cool evening air coupled with clear warm temperatures and low humidity in the afternoons, allows the grapes to slowly mature retaining good acid levels while developing optimal flavors.

We are finding that the winds in the valley lead to smaller leaf size as well as smaller grape clusters. This unique phenomena in the valley will produce a higher degree of color and flavor concentration in the fruit which translates to intense and luscious wines. Due to the late spring frost, late budding varieties like Pinot Noir, Carménère, Phoenix, Vignoles, Merlot, Riesling and Chardonnay are good choices.


Trellising System:

As a result of our Santa Rosa JC training and many tours of Premium Pinot Noir vineyards, we chose the California high density vertical shoot positioning model for our vineyard. We also have north and south row positioning to provide even light exposure on both sides of the cluster. This system will extract the maximum concentration of fruit flavors from each vine.

To achieve this high density model, we have our rows at 6' spacing and our vine spacing is 2.5'. UC Davis research indicates that this system will optimize fruit quality and produce a more balanced vine thereby reducing the need for summer hedging.

Over time we have elevated our cordon wire from 31" to 43". This high wire system reduce the vines reflective heat absorption from the soil, while promoting good air circulation leading to an even ripening of fruit throughout the vineyard.

Organic Based Sustainable Viticulture:

To further maintain the health of the vines, we apply organic fertilizers through our drip system in the early spring before bud break and again in fall just after harvest.

We also do multiple pruning and several thinning (dropping fruit) throughout the growing season to increase sun exposure and lessen mildew pressure.

Bird Protection:

Birds are a concern wherever you grow grapes.

To protect our fruit from our fine feathered friends, we employ Fruit Zone Bird Netting which is placed on each side of the vine, covering only the fruiting area


Vineyard Practices:

All these operations combine to insure quality fruit and preserve the health of the vines for years to come. As you can tell caring for our vineyard is an intensive labor of love. We will continue to care for it with tender loving care. In return, the vines will continue to give us stellar fruit year after year.

Estate Vineyards / AVA

Pinot Noir
Clones Planted: Pommard, Dijon 115, 667, 777, 828 and Martine's Heritage Clone

The Pinot Noir (pronunced: penoˈnu-WAH) is possibility the greatest and most wonderful of all the black wine grapes. The name is derived from the French words for "little black pine cone" alluding to the grape variety's tightly clustered dark purple berries. Pinot Noir is a very difficult grape to grow. It is very particular as to the climate and soil it likes to grow in. Due to the fragile nature of this grape it is not only very challenging to grow it is also just as challenging to make a great wine. Pinot Noir has received its cult status as a result of the tireless effort of a few small production wineries throughout the US.

These premium wines come from cool climate vineyards that have devoted themselves to bringing out the best qualities Pinot Noir has to offer such as here in the upper end of Yavapai County's charming Chino Valley.

Vignoles
Clone Planted: 01

Vignoles (Veen-YOLE) is a white wine grape which is a trouble free grower in the vineyard. It buds late and produces plenty of clean sweet fruit. This grape has the ability to readily adapt to the many varied climate zones within Arizona. More importantly, this grape has a thick skin so that clusters can hang on the vine from late September to as late as mid October. We believe that we may have the only plantings of Vignoles in Arizona.

In the vineyard, Vignoles retains a high acid and can also attain high sugar levels which is needed to produce quality late harvest and dessert wines. Vignoles is also capable of making a serious dry wine. Vignoles can have a luscious pronounced floral aroma of orange blossoms, with tastes of apricots, pineapples, honey, peaches, melons, and guava. As a sweet wine, Vignoles has the ability to compete with the great French Sauternes.

Carménére
Clone Planted: 03 (R9-Conegliano, Italy)

The Carménère grape is a red wine grape variety originally planted in the Médoc and Graves region of Bordeaux, France, where it was used to produce complex deep red wines. This very old and now rare Bordeaux variety, is thought to be the "grandfather" of Bordeaux grapes and on equal footing with Cabernet Sauvignon. The grape is also grown in Chile as well as in northern Italy's Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions.

Carménère wines are marked by sweet ripe black fruit and spice flavors. They are supported by velvity tannins and notes of coffee, and grilled meat. A member of the Cabernet family of grapes, Carménère creates wines with the charm of Merlot and the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon. Carménère is well suited for growing in this valley as it buds out late like the Cabernet Sauvignon but ripens earlier along with Merlot.
We believe that we may be the first Carménère wine producers in Arizona.

Phoenix
Clones Planted: DRS 02

The Phoenix grape is a white wine grape of German origin. It was developed by Dr. Gerhardt Alleweldt (1927-2005) at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding in Siebeldingen in 1964 as a hardy disease resistant cool climate Chardonnay type grape. A very rare grape in the US, the only known plantings are in Oregon and here in our Arizona vineyard.

Suited to cooler growing regions, Phoenix wines produced and aged in stainless steel tend to have notes of tropical fruit flavors likened to a crisp Chablis or when fermented and aged in French oak barrels produced a rich and fuller Burgundian style white wine.

We produced our first harvest of Phoenix in a dry Chablis style aged in stainless steel creating a wine having flavors of melon, elderflower and fresh citrus.

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Hours

By appointment only.

Address

974 N Grandview
Paulden, Arizona 86334
United States

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