The Wines of New Mexico 2022

While we did not do an on-air show we did cover topics that will be part of our new three-hour format. The first new show will air on May 7. I thought starting out with New Mexico wines would be a good way to begin. Accordingly I brought in a library selection wine from Milagro Vineyards in the village of Corrales, which is where I have lived for 23 years. Not at the winery, of course!

This week’s show we are focusing on our local wineries and also providing an overview of New Mexico wine country and where you can pick up good local wines. If you live in New Mexico this virtual trip should cover cities and landmarks with which you already are familiar.

New Mexico Wine Regions

There are three defined AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in NM and two recognized unique regions that currently are not so defined. The NM Wine Growers Association (NMWGA) divides the state into four geographic regions so we’ll begin there. Check out https://nmwine.com/ for details, directions and links to all New Mexico wineries. This should be your first stop.

Northern region includes Santa Fe, Farmington, and Taos. Most wineries are located in or near one of these cities. The Embudo Valley is pending approval of AVA status
Central region includes Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Los Lunas and Belen. Many wineries were sited by the Rio Grande, using its waters to assist in irrigation. This region contains the Middle Rio Grande viticultural area or MRG AVA, established in 1988.
Southern region includes Las Cruces, Deming and Lordsburg. The Mimbres Valley AVA includes Deming and Silver City and out to Lordsburg, and was established in 1985. The Mesilla Valley includes Las Cruces-Mesilla down to El Paso, established in 1985.
Southeastern region includes Tularosa, Alamogordo and Ruidoso. The Tularosa Basin is a recognized wine growing region that also has challenging weather.

New Mexico Wine History

The area around Socorro was the first area in the US where wine using Vitis Vinifera grapes was successfully grown. The generally agreed date is 1629. The Mission grape or Listan Prieto is still grown in New Mexico. It is related to the Palomino grape, a principal grape in making Sherry.

In the mid-19^th century the vines were head-pruned (head-trained) and buried in winter. However the soils became heavily alkaline turning the ground almost white. That and constant Rio Grande flooding prevented protecting vines in winter. Prohibition was the coup de grace with recovery only beginning in the 1970s.

Modern Wine History

Anderson Valley Vineyards 1973 (now closed)
La Vina Winery 1977
La Chiripada 1977
Santa Fe Vineyards 1982 bought by Black Mesa & Estrella Del Norte (now closed)
Balagna Winery mid-1980s (now closed). John Balagna was a nuclear chemist involved in the Manhattan Project who is also a winemaker. His La Bomba Grande red blend celebrating the Trinity blast generated a lot of controversy. Glow in the dark wine, who knew?
Gruet Winery: Vineyards originally in Engle, NM. Founders from Champagne (Gruet et Fils)
H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro. Formerly Southwest Wines: Vineyards in Lordsburg, NM
Clair Winery located in Deming: D. H. Lescombes, St. Clair, Blue Teal
Many boutique wineries were established in 1990s

New Mexico grapes

NM grapes are quite varied and include hybrid as well as Vitis vinifera (Old World) varieties. Italian and Spanish grape do very well and a wide range of French grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Chardonnay. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir are less successful, but Riesling, Viognier and Syrah do well here.

Milagro Vineyards Corrales, NM

My personal favorite NM winery and that comes with over 20 years of tasting their wines and many cases of wine. Some of the things that make Milagro special:

Only French oak used for aging and bottles held one year before release
Sur lie technique used on Chardonnay, no malolactic fermentation
Old Church Road estate vineyard, plus manages several Corrales & Rio Rancho plots
Holds library wines to see how wines age
First NM winery to earn a Jefferson memorial award; now has several
Coolest label with Wilbur the Pig & the best tee shirts (I have several)
Winemaker Rick Hobson, a passionate dedicated vigneron

Current Wine List

Corrales White: A blend of Riesling, Chardonnay, Semillon, and Sauvignon Blanc.
2017 Chardonnay
2015 Old Church Road Chardonnay (sold out)
2019 Riesling & Gruner Veltliner
2019 Semillon (sold out)
Rose – whole cluster pressed Leon Millot
Corrales Red: A blend of Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon
2017 Syrah
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Zinfandel
2018 Pinot Noir
2017 Merlot
Library wines: 2016 Old Church Chardonnay, 2016 Old Church Zinfandel, 2015 Syrah, 2015 Zinfandel, 2016 Red Cuvée Field blend (54% Cab S, 30% Merlot, 16% Cab Franc.)

What we are tasting: 2012 Milagro Old Church Road Zinfandel

Old Church Road and West Ella meet at the Milagro estate vineyards. Although Rick & Mitzi Hobson have staked out vineyards dotting Corrales and Rio Rancho, it is this vineyard they lavish the most attention on and the resulting quality of fruit is exceptional.

This wine is sold out at the winery, but a dear friend, Sue Evatt, gifted me with several bottles so I had to share some with good friends. As soon as Eddy Aragon tasted this Zinfandel his eyes shot up and he said, “What is this wine?” He loved it and why not; this claret-style Zinfandel is one of the best domestic Zinfandel wines you will find.

This is not a jammy, heavily-extracted and high-alcohol wine, but a balanced, crisp wine that pairs with all types of food. Each sip invites the next.

Other Corrales Wineries

Pasando Tiempo:

Chris and Martha Carpenter keep things swinging at their winery. A great place to visit now that spring is really here.

They have a long list of red and white wines although many of their whites are sold out. They offer half-price glasses of wine during happy hour Fridays at 3pm to 7pm and 20% off on bottles.
They are also doing specialty cocktails using local distillery spirits with their wines.
Tasting room hours: Friday 3-7pm, Sat/Sun: 1 to 6pm

Corrales Winery

Founded in 2,000 but making wine a lot longer than that, this is the place to go for big red wines and savory whites.

The first NM wine that made me sit up and take notice was a Corrales Winery 1999 Cabernet Franc and I’ve been friends with the Johnstones ever since. Recently Jeremiah Baumgartel joined them and is now the principal winemaker. Jeremiah previously worked at Ponderosa Valley Vineyards and has been a presenter at many wine conferences.

The winery is located at 6275 north Corrales Road with spectacular views of the Sandia Mountains. The wine tasting counter was built by my good friend Don Swanson. Some of the vineyards front the winery and a broad field of grass to the north features a huge willow tree. It was under this tree that we held one of four events centered on a Corrales winery; where 4 wines were featured and I interviewed Jeremiah along with Keith and Bobby Johnstone.

Corrales Winery Whites

2017 Riesling: off-dry, crisp, 11.2% ABV, $20
2017 Muscat Cannelli highly-awarded desert wine, 12% ABV, $20
2019 Viognier: Dry wine with lemon, pear, and minerality
2018 Vinadora Rosé of Merlot, 14.8% ABV, $20

Corrales Winery Reds

2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, bold, dark fruit, 15.7% ABV, $30 Sold out
2016 Petit Verdot: Intense, earth dark fruit, 14.7% ABV, $30
2017 Cabernet Franc: medium-bodied, dry cherry, smooth, 14.9% ABV, $25
2016 Merlot: with ripe raspberry and strawberry flavors, 15.3% ABV, $25
2014 Crimson: a blend of 2/3 Cabernet Sauvignon and 1/3 Petit Verdot, 15.2% ABV, $40
Rojo Blendido: popular smooth sweet blend, 13.7% ABV, $20
Mariachi: sweet, spicy blend, 14.7% ABV, $20

Wine Tasting:

Open for outdoor tasting Friday to Sunday: Noon to 5pm

Acequia Vineyards and Winery

240 Reclining Acres Rd. Corrales open Thursday to Sunday – Noon to 5pm

Sweet and dry white, red, rose wines
Proprietors: Al & Mel Knight
A small but intimate setting to enjoy wine and hospitality

While Milagro is only open one weekend a month, they have also partnered with Silver Leaf Farms for produce and wine pickup. See below from the March newsletter.

The historical building that housed Tessa Davidson’s law office and Roussanne vineyard is the future home of a retail outlet for Silver Leaf Farms and Milagro Vineyards. It will be an enhanced continuation of the Milagro Farmstand created during the Covid Pandemic which allowed online ordering and weekly pick up of locally produced vegetables, plant starts, wine, coffee, bread, cheese, charcuterie, chocolate, pastries, etc. All but the wine tasting bar hopefully will be operational by beginning of summer. The wine tasting bar should be operational by end of summer. The current tasting room will continue to operate as it has been. More details will follow as they are available.

Plan to stop by our Corrales wineries any weekend this spring and summer. I guarantee you’ll have a great time.

Food and wine events

Wine Tasting at Bottega del Vino Chomp Santa Fe, May 6; 5:30pm

Join Tablas Creek owner, Jason Haas (on Zoom) and your in-house guest sommelier, Greg O’Byrne, for a historic vertical tasting of Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Beaucastel ($75 per person).

This is looking like a monthly event and one not to miss if you enjoy vertical tastings of fabulous wines. Right, that should be just about every wine lover.

And don’t forget to tune in Rock of Talk – KIVA business Saturday on ABQ-FM/AM1600.

The Wines of New Mexico 2022