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Put Some Altitude in Your Glass
33: ChaCha Chavez Returns
Apr 5, 2022
33: ChaCha Chavez Returns
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FULL TRANSCRIPT
0:00
[upbeat music] You're listening to Denver Wine Radio, the podcast about Colorado wine. My name is Paul Bonacquisty.
0:10
I'm the winemaker at Bonacquisty Wine Company, an urban winery I launched back in 2006 in Denver, Colorado, where I've been making and learning about wine ever since.
0:20
I'm sitting down with other wineries and wine experts to find out what makes Colorado wine so unique, and to help you find the wines you like to drink. And now, let's put some altitude in your glass.
0:36
Hey, welcome everybody to Denver Wine Radio. I'm Paul Bonacquisty, and my host, or co-host [laughs] Co-hostess [laughs] Cha Cha Chavez. Hey, everybody. Welcome back, Cha. Thank you, Paul. It's good to be back.
0:49
It's been a couple years, right? It has. Yeah. Wow, I didn't even want to talk about how many- Yeah... more than a couple. Yeah, since before COVID. Yeah, it was. It was pre-COVID. Yeah. I don't even remember, so.
0:59
I don't remember either. But I guess it doesn't matter. [laughs] I don't remember. We got COVID brain. [laughs] We got COVID brain. I got COVID pants on. Yeah, so. That's a whole nother Oprah. Oh, man.
1:09
[laughs] That's a whole nother Oprah. We won't talk about that. No, we sure won't.
1:12
So hey, so, uh, Denver Wine Radio is where we talk about Colorado wine and see what's happening out in the Colorado wine world, 'cause there's a lot going on. There's... It's starting to open up, Paulie. Seriously.
1:24
Especially, uh, since the last couple, you know, cou- Yeah... since a couple of years ago. Yeah. You know how many wineries there are in Colorado? No. Over 200. Serious? Yeah. Wow. Yeah.
1:33
I didn't know that was, there was that many. Yep, there's around, um... My count, my official count today is 216- Wineries... wineries. Like, local wine- wineries? Well- Like, Colorado wineries?
1:45
Colorado, here in, yeah- Wow... here in the state. Okay. All, you know, spread out all over. So most of the grapes are grown over in Palisade on the Western Slope.
1:53
In fact, 80, 85% of the grapes, uh, come out of, out of the Grand Valley, which is, that's what that's called, so. Right, where we get our peaches too? That's where we get our peaches. Oh, and cantaloupes.
2:03
And cantel- No, do we get cantaloupes there? I don't think we get cantaloupes there No, I don't think we do. No, just the peaches. That's Rocky Ford. [laughs] Palisades. That's Rocky Ford, that's Rocky Ford.
2:10
Okay, the peaches, yeah. Yeah. Right on. So, so anyway, 200 plus wineries, which includes cideries and meaderies too. What's a meadery? Meadery, they make wine out of honey. What? Yeah. What do you mean?
2:24
Honey like, like honey? Like honey. Like bees honey? Honey honey. They make honey, wine out of honey? Yeah, they make wine out of honey. It goes back, I mean, a long, long way. This- [laughs] Wow. Yes.
2:37
I think that is kind of a, when I think of mead, I think of a, uh, Middle Ages drink is when they drank that. Wow. I could be wrong.
2:45
I think it goes back further than that, but yeah, ferment, you can ferment anything with sugar. I did not know that. That's the beautiful thing about, uh... [laughs] I did not know that you could make wine out of honey.
2:54
That is crazy. And does it taste... Well, does it taste like whatever else you put into it kinda? It tastes like... Well, 'cause they do some, yeah, they do some flavoring. Yeah. There's some different styles.
3:06
Uh, some on the drier side but, you know, some sweeter. Interesting. Uh, you know, all- Yeah, all kinds probably... all kinds. Yeah. So. Interesting. So maybe we'll get into that one of these days.
3:14
W- we should do a, we'll do a show on, a show on, on mead. I ain't putting on no b- beekeeper outfit, Paulie. [laughs] I ain't looking like no beekeeper. [laughs] So. Right on. That's interesting. Yeah.
3:28
So you know, the Colorado Governor's Cup is a annual, uh, competition for Colorado wineries. We enter our wines. Mm-hmm. And they do a judging, and they pick the winners.
3:40
And so we, you know, they award gold medal, silver medal, bronze medal, and then they, they take the best scoring wines and they have a special tasting event for that, which is held in November of every year.
3:52
That's a great event. So it is. It is fun. [laughs] It's fun, lots of great wine and food and- Yeah... yeah. So and, and it's coming up in this year, November 5th actually, uh, 2022. Wasn't it at the, uh, museum?
4:07
Yeah, it's at the Western History Museum. Yeah. Yeah, down- It's an awesome event... yeah, down on, uh, Broadway. Yeah. So great event, so put that on your calendar and circle it. Okay.
4:16
But what we're gonna taste today- What are we tasting? We are tasting- Winners?... winners from the Governor's Cup, from the Governor's Cup case, which is, like, double gold. They, they award those all a double gold.
4:28
We're gonna taste some really fine wine. I'm sure. Yeah, all Colorado grapes, and, uh, we're gonna see what you think. All right. I'm ready for it, and you know what?
4:36
I haven't had anything to eat today, so I'm gonna get buzzed. [laughs] Right on. [laughs] But it's good, you know.
4:43
Everything's starting to open up now and, you know, it feels a little safer to get out and about and so forth and so on, so. Yeah. It is a good thing, Paulie. It is a good thing.
4:51
You know, we dropped our mask policy here and, uh, we were, we were vax only. Okay. Just up until a couple of weeks ago when everything, I mean, the, everything started- Yeah... going down really quick. Yeah.
5:02
Yeah, it's a good thing. Yeah, it is. It's really good. So it's fun to have, uh, it's un- fun to have people coming back in and seeing their faces and, you know, not as stressed out. Yeah, seeing people's mouths.
5:12
[laughs] Yeah. You know? Smiles. I mean, it's just that we take everything, uh, for granted, and that's just such a little thing, but that's the thing I've missed the most is just seeing people. Yeah.
5:22
You know, just coming out, and this is always a great place to hang out, and it's always chill. The wine's great. The food's great. So Bonacquisty Wines up I-70 in Pecos. [laughs] Thank you. So what are we gonna taste?
5:34
Thanks for that shameless plug. Okay. Okay, so first up we are going to taste The Storm Cellar. All right? And they are a winery out in Paonia. Okay.
5:46
So over there, Paonia and Hotchkiss, that's in the area of Colorado that is our second AVA. Okay, so we have A- these American Viticultural Areas. Okay, Paulie. Okay, let me, let me-[laughs]
6:01
Let me bring you up to date Is- explain Lucy. [laughs] Okay, so an American Viticultural Area is, uh, an area that is, uh, federally designated. It's a boundary for growing grapes. So it designates, um...
6:15
So like I said, over by Palisade, that is the Grand Valley, and it's got a boundary. Oh, okay. So if you grow grapes within that area and you make wine, you can put it on your label, Grand Valley, Colorado. Oh, okay.
6:26
Okay? And then if you grow grapes over in that valley i, in, uh, Paonia and Hotchkiss, that's called the West Elks. Interesting. You can put that on your label On your label. Okay... West Elks AVA.
6:39
So it's the same thing. So we have two in Colorado, all right? Now in California, they've got hundreds Yeah, I'm- I bet... of AVAs. Yeah.
6:45
So just, and it's all just a, it's, it's boundaries to designate that I make better wine with my grapes than you make [laughs] with your grapes, okay? Kinda like Hatch Chiles. [laughs] Kinda like Hatch and Pueblo Chile.
6:58
We won't, we won't go there this morning. David Diaz. [laughs] So it's known, you know that it's, uh, known from that region. That it's within that border. That's right.
7:07
So then you know, when you look on here and you know, you know that the grapes come from Right... that specific region, so. Right. Yeah. Better hand me that glass. I don't wanna pour wine over the board. Hand me a glass.
7:17
[laughs] Yeah, and I'm gonna put it over here 'cause I'm a spiller and a dropper. My dogs know that. They line up just like right in front of me 'cause they know i- inevitably I'm gonna spill or drop something.
7:27
All right, so this is, uh, 2018 dry Riesling, meaning no, no residual sugar. Okay. All, all fermented out. Like I said, from the Storm Cellar. Mm. Uh, great producer out in, uh, Hotchkiss, Paonia area.
7:43
And let's see what we've got. Remember, now this is how we taste wine. We sniff it. We swirl it a little bit. Yeah, it's- Let some oxygen in. It's- And then give it a sniff... it smells really good. It's really full.
7:54
Oh, wow. Right? Yeah. It's really full. And do you get the, um- Mm. Very floral... It, it is very floral. Do you get the petroleum kind of, uh, characteristic on the top? I'm not getting that, Paulie. You're not?
8:10
Does it smell like a- Oh, yes... like- Now I do. A- Kind of a little like oil-ish Like oil-ish? Yes. Yeah, like yeah. Wow. That's a very classic component of Riesling. Wha- why is that, Paul? It's not a bad thing.
8:22
Why, no why? Well, because there's this chemical compound in the grape, in Riesling, and it also can be enhanced by the soil, the, where the- The territory is... yeah... or where the border is? That's right. Yeah.
8:32
Where the wines come from, where the grapes are grown. And the more there is, the more you get that. So Rieslings from Germany- Yeah... they have that. They have a lot, um, you know- Yeah... of petrol. Yeah.
8:45
And it's, I mean, it's just a classic component. Oh, it tastes good. I can definitely smell the oily kind of. Yeah, but you're, that's all right, and I, uh, it's all suggestive.
8:55
The smells, whatever you smell, there's no wrong answer. Right. 'Cause it's all up to you. No. Right. Your, your palate, your taste. Yeah. It's g- But I can definitely smell the oil now that you mention it.
9:05
[laughs] And the fruitiness. There, it's a very, like a fruity bouquet, but not very, how can I say? [laughs] It's fruity but not punchy. Yeah. Okay. Does that make any sense? Yeah, it makes sense. Okay.
9:19
It's very good, Paulie. Okay. What happened when you tasted it? Mm. It was an explosion in my mouth. [laughs] Ooh, that's good. Wow, this is really nice. That's very nice. It has a very, um- It's almost creamy.
9:35
It is, and, uh- The, the mouth texture, yeah... it just leaves a really fresh taste in your mouth, just really organic. That's very good. Very good. That's very, very [laughs] good. Real- yeah, really good.
9:49
Um, so- What would you pair up this with, uh, like food-wise? You know, 'cause I'm thinking it's Lent, you know? Mm-hmm.
9:55
And I'm thi- I eat a lot of fish during Lent, and I'm thinking a really good fish would go with this, really light. Oh, absolutely. Yeah.
10:04
So you get this, um, like on the finish I'm getting this heavy lime, kinda lime peel- Yeah... type of finish on the profile. Mm-hmm. So anything, uh, citrus-based it's gonna go really good with. Mm-hmm.
10:15
So and then when Lent's over, or you, [laughs] you know, pair this with the ham, okay? Oh, you, oh, yeah with pork. You, you could. Yeah. Yeah, you could do this with Easter ham. Like a pork chop. Yeah.
10:24
Because that sweetness, uh, in the ham is gonna come out in this wine. Right. It's gonna pull out like that fruitiness out of the wine, so. Right. Yeah. Oh, it's really, really good. Mm-hmm. I like that one a lot. Wow.
10:37
Great job, Steve and Jamie. Mm. They're a couple of sommeliers that packed it up from the Mile High and, uh, bought a farm out on, out in Paonia and, uh, took over a vineyard and this is what they do.
10:52
They only- It was one of those dreams that they said, "We're gonna just change our careers. We're gonna just pack everything up, sell everything in Denver, and head up to the mountains-" That's- "... and make wine."
10:59
That's what they did. Love it. Just like you, Paulie, but you stayed in the city. I st- [laughs] that's right. [laughs] I couldn't get Judy to move to a farm. No way. [laughs] But we'll make goat cheese, Judy.
11:09
Judy, come on now. [laughs] That was really good. All right. So and that was a, that was in the Governor's Cup 2019. Okay. At the, at that particular, at that Governor's Cup, double gold. Yes, excellent.
11:24
And, um- How much would that run a bottle, like? Super delicious. 22 bucks. Okay, perfect. Something like that. Then, so they hit a home run. Basically that was their first year. This 2020 Rose of St. Vincent- Ooh...
11:40
was from the 2021 Governor's Cup. Okay. So we get to try a rose now from Storm Cellar. All righty. Whoa, careful. There you go. All right. Whoa. [laughs] Got it. Okay, so. We're, we're pouring over equipment here.
11:58
[laughs] Not such a good idea. Don't try this at home. No We are professionals. Yeah. Remember, I- I'll tell a quick radio story. I was on the air at Kol 105, and I spilled a Pepsi down- [gasps]... our board. Oh my God.
12:12
Oh. Did it short out and go off the air? Oh, it do- [imitates static] [laughs] I don't know what song I was playing, but it was like that.
12:18
[laughs] So for a whole week they had to make a makeshift studio in a production room while the engineers went through Q-tip, with Q-tips and cleaned out all the boards.
12:27
And after that they put up a rule that you couldn't have any beverages or drinks or food in the studio- [laughs]... 'cause I ruined it for everybody. Yeah. All right. Well, I did something like that. You did?
12:37
What'd you spill? I spilled water, actually- Oh... on a, um, [laughs] on a production console. You remember the Orban Odyssey? Oh, yeah, yeah. [laughs] Oh, no. That's how long ago that was. Yeah.
12:49
Yeah, that was a big one. So I had a, um- You win. [laughs] You win.
12:54
But I thought, I thought because it was water, and then actually the production director did too, he thought, "Well, maybe it would just dry out-" Yeah... "and then it will start working," but no, they did ship it off.
13:05
Yeah. And I had a lid too. I had a lid on my, um, on my water thing. Yeah. But it, it fell off. Yeah. That was the thing with the Coke is the sugar, and it got into all the components.
13:15
They literally, they were there for hours with the little Q-tips cleaning everything out. Oh, wow. Yeah. Dude, it's a miracle I kept my job at that point, but [laughs] so we're... Okay, the rosé. Let's see.
13:26
Yeah, rosé of Saint Vincent. Ooh, I like that, St. Vincent. Yeah. St. Vincent is a hybrid grape, or a cold hardy cultivar, to make it sound fancy.
13:36
So they've taken grapes that are Vitis vinifera, which are the main wine-making grapes- Okay... like Merlot- Right... Cabernet, y- anything like that. That's Vitis vinifera.
13:46
Then we have these Native American grapes that grow, you know, like stuff that grows in your backyard, which is called Vitis labrusca. Oh, okay. Those grapes, the North American grapes are very, they're cold hardy.
13:58
You know, they, uh, make it through the winter. They've crossed the two and make different varieties that will- Wow...
14:04
that were, that are good enough to make wine out of, but they'll make it through the winter when you have, like, really, uh, crappy winters here in Colorado. Wow. So this is one of them, St. Vincent. Interesting. Yeah.
14:15
All right. Let's give it a taste. Yes. Okay. Give it a smell. Citrus. Yeah. It, to me it explodes, like, with strawberries. Wow. It, it smells a little sweeter. Mm-hmm. Oh. But definitely floral. I love the color.
14:30
Yeah, it's beautiful. Like pink. This would be great in a bathroom. [laughs] So- Sorry. But- The color [laughs] It's not real pink. Don't, uh, don't get me, get us wrong. Right. It's not like strawberry pink.
14:42
It's, it's like a cross between a burgundy and a... I don't know. It's just beautiful. Okay, I'm tasting now. Oh, that's yum. Oh, yeah. Ooh, nice little aftertaste. I mean, the strawberry coming. I'm getting cherry.
14:58
But all, like, in a light type of flavor profile. You could pour this over ice cream. [laughs] You think? Fruit. You know those peaches or whatever you make, pears. What do you make? The wine with the pears or whatever.
15:08
Wine with the peaches? Or, yeah. That, this would be good. Don't you make something with pears or wine and pears or something? No, I do, uh, wine and peaches. Peaches. Yeah. Yeah. Oh.
15:17
That's how I got Judy to fall in love with me, wine and peaches. [laughs] That's right. You told me that. [laughs] Actually, that is really, really good. It's got a very mellow, uh, floral, fruity aftertaste to it.
15:30
I'm tasting lime in this one. Yeah, you would get that. Like a citrus- Yeah, mm-hmm... type of finish to it. Yeah. For sure. And that's the acid that's in wine. Acid is the life of the party. Oh. All... Yeah.
15:39
[laughs] A lot of people won't say that. [laughs] But we're talking about acid in wine. Okay. [laughs] I can see that. I love the way it smells. So you could see they're great producers.
15:50
And these grapes actually came from Palisade area, so this is Grand Valley. They didn't grow this at their property, but, um, very delicious. And how much would that one, uh? I think it's around, uh- Same thing?...
16:02
around the same price. Yeah. 20, 22, 23 a bottle? 20... Yeah, 22, 24 a bottle. Something in that range. It's very good, very tasty, and definitely could be used as a dessert kind of thing as well.
16:14
I mean, this is technically not sweet enough to pair up with dessert- Yeah... but you could certainly do it with, yeah, like, yeah, fresh fruits and- Yeah.
16:22
You have to see, you just have to see and push the limit, like, with the sweetness of whatever you're gonna eat with it. Right. It's good. It's really good. Delish. Let me help you. What do you got coming up here, Hagah?
16:33
Um, yeah, give me that one. I'm gonna cleanse my palate with these- [laughs]... yummy breadsticks.
16:39
[upbeat music] Next up we have Bookcliff Vineyards 2016 Ensemble.
16:57
Okay. Where's this vineyard at? Okay, so Bookcliff Vineyards, their winery is actually in Boulder, but they have many acres of vineyards in Palisade. Okay. So these are, uh, grapes from their vineyards out in Palisade.
17:09
This is, uh, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon 58%, Merlot 29%, Malbec 5%, Cabernet Franc 5, and Petit Verdot 3%. Wow, so it's a little mixture of everything.
17:23
Yeah, it's a little mixture of everything, and those are all Bordeaux grapes- Okay... uh, from France. So that's all five of those grapes you would find in, uh, Bordeaux.
17:32
They're used in, uh, small percentages, typically mostly, uh, Merlot based or Cabernet Sauvignon based, so very excited to taste this. You've been to Italy, right? I have. Yeah. A couple of, couple of times.
17:43
A couple times. Yeah. And France? Have you been to France? I've never been to France, but it is on my list [laughs] to go. Yeah. You gotta put Spain on your list too. Oh, yeah, and I have been to Spain. Oh, you have?
17:53
Yeah. When did you go to Spain? When we, we went, uh, the first time we went to Rome, we were there for a week, and then we went to Spain. Oh, okay. Did you like it? Oh, yeah. We loved it. Fricking love Spain.
18:06
Yeah I wanna go back too. The wine was incredible. [laughs] And, uh, incredibly affordable too. Oh, very. All right, so here we go with the Bookcliff Vineyards- Wow... 2016 Ensemble. 100% Colorado grown.
18:21
Ooh, this, this has a... This one packs a punch smell-wise. Yeah. So now we're moving- Wow... we're moving into the reds. Aged in barrels. Wow. The others were only aged in stainless steel. This is Batman and Robin. Pow!
18:35
Zam! Shazam! [laughs] Yeah. [laughs] It's, like, crazy. It has a lot of g- you know, really good fruit, dark fruit, but also this, um, I get the floral, I get like- Mm... rose petals type of- Uh, that's, yeah...
18:49
like, yeah. Oh, chocolate. Absolutely. Chocolate. A lot of, um, and, you know, then you get that toasty, uh, the toasty barrel characteristic. It's very chocolatey to me.
19:02
Ooh, also a little, like, a little bit of cinnamon. Mm-hmm. A little bit of spice. Mm. Wow. I know, right? Very smooth, and just coats your palate. This is like velvet. Oh, the smell is beautiful. This is wonderful.
19:18
Which is this one again? This is, uh, Bookcliff Vineyards 2016 Ensemble. Yeah, this is a really, really good one. You got a special occasion coming up, this is a really good one to celebrate with.
19:29
So yeah, 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 29% Merlot. And I'll tell you that in Colorado the most planted grapes are Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Those are the most planted grapes.
19:44
And then there's a lot of other stuff that grow and, and grows very well here, but you can tell, you can taste. You can. This, this- It's, yeah...
19:53
this is right up there with any, any wine, uh, in [laughs] around the world, so. This is front row at Mary J. Blige. That's right. [laughs] Seriously. It, it's, it's, I wanna use the word powerful because it's, wow.
20:07
I really taste chocolate. Do you? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Let me try it again. I take little sips. [laughs] And that's good. [laughs] I was like, glug, glug, glug. [laughs] No, I'm just joking.
20:19
[laughs] See, you're, you're a big wine connoisseur drinker. I'm a light, little lightweight here. [laughs] Um, do you taste the chocolate? I do. I do. That's what I tasted- I get some-...
20:29
first off the bat was chocolate. Yeah, it's kind of like a cherry, uh, cherry chocolate- Yeah... finish. Uh, it's real bright. Yeah. Uh, th- yeah, this is very good. It's very, very good. This is, uh, numero uno so far.
20:41
Very good. They're all good. I mean, the other two were great too- Mm-hmm... but this one definitely packs your punch. What do we got next here? Okay, next up is Cuttori Wines. Hmm, that sounds Australian.
20:55
It i- [laughs] well, they're, they're out in Paonia actually. Okay. So this is made from, as I recall, I, I think this is all from Palisade, even though their, their winery is in Paonia. This is, uh, 2017 Syrah. Mm.
21:11
Okay? So it's gonna be, I'm expecting a little bit bigger. Uh, Syrah is a grape that grows very well in Colorado, really good climate for it, and this was actually the best of show. Whoa. Uh-huh. All right.
21:26
From, from 2019 Colorado Governor's Cup. What a fun event that is. Yeah. It's paired up with, uh, all, each winery's paired up with a restaurant. Yep. And they pair a specific food- Oh, hang on... with each wine. Yep.
21:42
It was so much fun last time. Ooh, that's a beautiful color. Yeah. Look at that. Cuttori Wines. Holy molies, look at the beautiful color of that wine. Wow. Yeah. Real nice, uh, real big purple.
22:03
Ooh, wow. [laughs] So already a different, a different profile- Very different... than what we just had. Much lighter scents to me. Not as, not as in- intense? Yeah, not as intense. Right. Okay.
22:20
Still very floral and it's very woody. Do you kinda smell the woody? Yeah, I do.
22:28
I get a little bit of woody and this actually needs a little bit more aeration, a little more time to open up, but it is, um, kind of a jammy, like a dark fruit that you would buy, like blackberry jam- Yeah...
22:44
that has that type of, uh, aroma on, uh, in the glass. Mm. Mm, mm. Wow. Wow. Bigger. Yeah. Heavier on the palate. Yeah, yeah, heavier on the palate and kind- Mm-hmm... of like it leaves a boom.
22:56
And that's what's called body. Okay. That's what we refer to. [laughs] Wow. When we say full body. That was full body. [laughs] That's full bodied. That's full bodied. Heavy weight on the palate. Yep. Wow.
23:06
It is, uh, [laughs] it brings a lot of fruit. Mm. The smell is just beautiful. I d- I, I smell, like, a real nice oak in there. I, I do a little bit of citrus as well, like orangey. Yeah. But the smell is just beautiful.
23:20
And the tannins are, uh, there's a little bit of tannins. Not heavy, but it, it hits me like coffee kind of on the finish. Yeah. That's the way the tannins- Yeah... uh, hit my palate, so. That's very good.
23:30
But super juicy. Oh, very good. And yeah. [laughs] That's very good as well. It's not as intense, I should say.
23:37
Maybe intense isn't the word, but as the one before, but it's, man, it's just as good, just kind of on a mellower level. Yeah. Yeah. Very good. So this one you could pair, this one, you know, it's bigger.
23:49
You can pair with, like, barbecue. Yeah. That's, anything smoky- Yeah... is really gonna pair up- Yeah... really nice with this. Yeah. I, I could, uh, pair this one up with a disco on a Saturday night. Mm-hmm.
23:59
[laughs] Some, throw some carnitas or even something like that. It would be very good. Very, very good. I like it. I'm glad you like that one. That one's good.
24:10
[clears throat] It's a lot fruitier than the other one as well. Yeah, it is. A different style. I mean, that's what- Yeah... Cabernet, Merlot, I mean, those very structured types of grapes.
24:22
And where Syrah, you're gonna have this real bold- Mm-hmm... uh, you know, juicy, big fruit- Mm-hmm... style of wine, especially out of Colorado, 'cause we get, uh, riper fruit. We have a hot climate here in Colorado,
24:36
so we have cool nights, hot days, cool nights. But you know, like when it's, when we get 90, 95 degrees here in Denver, over in Palisade, it's usually like five degrees warmer. So it's like- Yeah... 95 to 100 degrees.
24:49
100 degrees, yeah. Yeah. But it's still the low, we'll get down to the low 60s- Yeah... which is what you need for grape growing.
24:55
But then as we get, we have a little bit of sh- you know, a shorter growing season than, let's say, California or somewhere that's a more tempered or milder climate.
25:03
So when we get down into September, October, grapes start to ripen. We have to let them hang just a little bit longer to get overall ripeness, and sometimes that means the sugars are gonna- Oh, okay...
25:15
get up a little bit higher. Makes that big- As it gets, as it gets riper? As it gets riper. Okay. And you're gonna get that big juicy, uh, style of, uh, wine like this. Okay. And this one actually comes in at 14.8%.
25:29
So right there, just under 15 [laughs]. And you can taste it. Yeah. You can taste it. I mean, you don't taste the alcohol, but that's why it gives it that- Yeah... that glycerol. Everything comes together, so. All right.
25:40
We have a, uh- Oh, Bonacquisti wine... [laughs] fan favorite here. [laughs] Yay. Governor's Cup winner. Yeah, so this was, um, yeah, this was one of my wines that was in the Governor's Cup back in 2019.
25:53
This is the, our, uh, 2018 Tempranillo. Okay. Okay? So this was, um, this was all Colorado fruit from Palisade. So although I didn't put Grand Valley on the label, I could have, but Colorado seems to be sufficient.
26:09
And there is actually some, uh, Graciano, which is a Spanish grape that happens to grow here, well here in Colorado. Hmm.
26:19
Uh, there's just not a lot of it, but I happened to get a hold of it, uh, for this one, so I blended in some Graciano. From Spain. Ooh. [laughs] So- Yeah, it smells really good, Paul...
26:31
so this ha- th- now this one has chocolate, uh, right off the, uh, when I, as soon as I smelled it. Yeah, you can smell the chocolate. I s- But- I smell a little wood as well. Yeah. Definitely chocolate. Vanilla.
26:44
That comes from the ba- the barrel. Big dark fruit. Cherries. Mm. Mm-hmm. Very good. Oh, my goodness. Oh, that was just like a bowl of fruit.
27:02
[laughs] Oh, my good- I tasted cherries, orange, little bit of spice, the oak. Yeah, this one is, um- Oh, Paulie, good job. Well, thank you. Wow. Award-winning winemaker right here, Paulie Bonacquisti. Yummy.
27:19
So- Oh, that's good, Paul. Thank you. Glad you like that. That's really good. You know, the sad thing about that vineyard is, um, I made a 2019 Tempranillo, and we released it in that year.
27:30
In 2019, there was a October freeze coming before everything was ready to be harvested. Hmm. So we picked everything early. So the wine came in a different style than this.
27:40
It was lighter, not that big ripe fruit flavor to it. So, and that's like w- like I said, what comes with letting grapes hang a lot longer. Mm-hmm.
27:51
So anyway, we made that wine and, and we released it, and it's sold out now.
27:55
Then in 2020, we didn't get as much fruit, so we made a 2020 Tempranillo, and it went to wine club exclusively because it was just a very limited quantity.
28:05
And then that October, uh, freeze came late October after everything was harvested and froze, and it killed the vines- Oh... down to the ground. So- Wow...
28:15
so the sad part is this, this Tempranillo vineyard was wiped out. Oh, no.
28:19
Yeah, so there was no f- no fruit in 2021, but also the vineyard owners, they were gonna figure out, uh, if they were gonna replant or, or what, so. Wow.
28:29
It knocked everything out, just- Yeah, just killed the- Killed everything... killed them down to the ground. Wow. Because the... So, like you have these trunks, you know, think about the trunk on the, the root system.
28:38
Mm-hmm. And it hasn't gone dormant yet. There's still water in the, in the vine system- Yeah... in the trunk system, and this f- hard freeze comes, goes down to 10 degrees, and it just splits the trunks. Ugh.
28:51
So- That's heartbreaking... some of them didn't, you know, some didn't kill the root system. They've grown back.
28:56
There's been some vines that have grown back across the valley, but then a lot of, lot of it has to be replanted, so. Okay, so how long by the time they replant till you can get the fruit to...
29:05
Is it within a year, or- It's-... does it take a few years for the- Yeah... yeah. It takes a few years. So- Okay... they could get some, but really to start producing, it's gonna take three- Yeah...
29:16
two, three, four, five years. Till they m- till they mature. Right. So yeah. It's gonna take... There's gonna be some recovery time- Wow... going forward, so. That's crazy. It is crazy.
29:25
Yeah, I just can't imagine, you know, like- All of it just done. Yeah. It's a life, life of a farmer. Yeah, exactly. And it's like, well, the new year's coming, so you're, it- Right...
29:33
you're hoping for good things- Yeah... every, every year. Yeah. That's- So... that's crazy. And it's such a good wine. Very good.
29:40
So last year in November, I was able to sit down and talk to Steve and Jamie from The Storm Cellar, and right a- this was right after the Governor's Cup. So we're gonna hear from Steve and Jamie right now- Oh, okay.
29:54
Awesome... on Denver Wine Radio, or when we come back- Okay... we'll talk to Steve and Jamie- You got it. That's-... and hear what they have to say about their winery and how they got their start. Awesome. All right
30:07
Right on, Paulie. Look at us, like two pros. [laughs] All right. Man, those were good. Oh, they were good, Paulie. That, that, uh, middle one, the one with the red label- Yeah...
30:24
bomb fucking diggity. [laughs] Dude, that one is, that one is- Yeah... really good. But this is, your Tempranillo is really good as well. Thank you. Very, very, very good. I like it. All right, so let's do that.
30:37
Let's recap what we just tasted. Okay. These were all Governor's Cup winners from Colorado. Okay. And we tasted Storm Cellar, two from Storm Cellar. We did their 2018 dry Riesling, excellent. Their 2020 Rose of St.
30:51
Vincent. We did 2016 Ensemble from Bookcliff Vineyards, which is a, uh, Cabernet Sauvignon based blend, along with Merlot and, uh, some other Bordeaux varietals.
31:03
And we tasted the, it, it was happened to be the best of show, Cuturi Wines 2017 Colorado Syrah. And we tried the Bona Quisti 2018 Colorado Tempranillo. So- Award-winning...
31:19
what, okay, so we can pick our own winner today, and, uh, there's no pressure. I, I a- What are you gonna go with? I a- I actually like your Tempranillo a lot. Okay.
31:30
I, I like the other one, the blend, uh, what was, uh, the one with the- The Ensemble? Yeah, I really like that, but
31:37
this is just a, for me, for my palate, this is just a little more mellower and I just like it a little bit better. Oh, well, thank you. It- You get extra... You're gonna be invited back. [laughs] Okay, Paul. No, I do.
31:49
For my palate, you know, I d- because, you know, I'm just, I'm a lighter drinker I guess, and this to me is just, it's perfect. It's just, it doesn't seem like it's too overwhelming or... Not that it was.
32:02
Maybe I'm not using the right words to describe the, the wine here, but don't get me wrong, it was good. Uh, the other one's good, but this is my favorite. I'll go with this one. Okay. That's great, thank you.
32:13
My favorite... Oh, see now, well, here's the thing. They all have a spot for, for a different occasion. Right. Exactly. Just depending on what you're having for dinner, time of day.
32:23
First thing in the morning I'd probably go for the- The first thing in the morning? [laughs] Did you just say first thing in the morning? [laughs] I gotta start it at the, in the beginning, don't I?
32:33
[laughs] Okay, let's move it to brunch then. Let's say- Okay, at least brunch... maybe you're gonna have a great brunch and, um, yes, any, the, either of the two Storm Cellars- [laughs] Yeah... I would go with.
32:42
But, um, but you know, in fact, I really, the dry Riesling just, I really like that. That I would do, I would do the dry Riesling for brunch. Right now. Yeah. For sure. Yeah. For a brunch, a really nice brunch.
32:54
Your Tempranillo I would do for just kinda chilling and kicking back outside in the patio. And the one, I keep forgetting the name of it, I'm sorry Paulie. The Ensemble from Bookcliff?
33:04
Yeah, the Ensemble I would do for a very, very special occasion and a very good dinner. Yeah. That is, yeah, it's, the Ensemble's excellent. I, I, that- [laughs]... that would be my second choice.
33:16
Out of the reds, I would even pick the Ensemble over mine. That's just how I am. But all, all fabulous wines. And that is your job, is to go out and seek Colorado wines out because- Absolutely...
33:29
they are hidden gems, they're the best-kept secret, and they're really small production. When you look at the, the rest of the wine world, all of Colorado is small production wine.
33:40
So a lot of care, a lot of craft goes into, into making them. Right. Everybody's discovered Colorado. [laughs] Right? Yes.
33:50
It seems like the world discovered Colorado and, uh, we're glad that they're discovering our wines as well because you guys do a great job. You really do. All the vineyards here do a great job.
33:59
You know, promoting them locally and, uh, it's just great to have our own wines- It is... in, in a state. Yeah. Like I said earlier, we have, uh, 216 wineries to choose from. Yep.
34:11
And they're scattered all around, a lot on the Front Range, of course plenty on the Western Slope, and all the way down into the Four Corners. And this is just a sample of what's out there. Right. So.
34:21
And of course, Bona Quisti wines off I-70 and Pecos. Of course. [laughs] Of course. Come on. Well, Cha, thanks for coming down. Well, you're welcome.
34:30
Thanks for having me again and it's, like I s- we talked earlier, it's been a couple of years 'cause of COVID, but we're gonna do this on a regular now and talk and drink some wine, talk about wines, what's going on in the city and the winery and- Absolutely...
34:43
what you got, what you got coming up? Well, here we've got wine club release coming up. We'll have live music again at the winery at the end of March, uh, March 25th. The Delta Sonics are back in the house.
34:54
Oh, Delta Sonics are gonna be in the house. Yeah. Right on. So we're starting to, uh, loosen up- Yeah... and, uh, get it all back to, uh, normal. We're getting our groove back. We're getting our groove back. That's it.
35:04
[laughs] That's it. We're getting our groove back. All right. So go out, seeks out, seek out some Colorado wines and, and put some altitude in your glass. There you go. And thanks for listening to Denver Wine Radio.
35:16
[upbeat music] That's our show for this week. Thank you so much for listening to Denver Wine Radio. Your homework for the week is to go out and taste some Colorado wine.
35:27
If you have any questions or comments, or just wanna let us know what you're drinking, go to denverwineradio.com, where you can email us or leave us a voice message. We'd love to hear from you.
35:39
And remember, put some altitude in your glass. Produced and distributed by the Sound Off Media company.
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