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Put Some Altitude in Your Glass
8: Visit Palisade and a surprise Colorado grape: Graciano
Feb 22, 2018
8: Visit Palisade and a surprise Colorado grape: Graciano
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FULL TRANSCRIPT
0:00
[upbeat music] Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Cha's Back in the Day Cafe is on the way. Yeah. Just give it a little bit more time. It's about time. I can't wait for Cha's Back in the Day Cafe.
0:10
Ooh, 'cause we gonna do it. We gonna do it good. [laughs] Just like we're drinking wine here. Man, we're put- we have five bottles of wine on this table. Three, four, five. And what time is it? It is, uh- 12:45.
0:20
[laughs] Oh my God. [laughs] Hey, it's National Drink Wine Day on Denver Wine Radio.
0:26
Paul Bonacquisty, Cha Cha Chavez, and John Garlich, owner and wine maker at Bookcliff Vineyards in, uh, Boulder, and, uh, vineyards are in Palisade. He's the man, grape grower of the year- Of the year...
0:39
awarded by the Colorado Association of Vintners and Oenologists. Congratulations, John. Thank you, thank you. Yeah, that's awesome. I'm coming to get you, though. [laughs] I'm coming to get you right now. [laughs] Uh-oh.
0:50
So yeah, let's, um, got our reserve Malbec here, so it'll be fun to see what you guys think of this. Uh, we sell it now for about $28 in the stores, and I think the price is gonna go up. Uh, it, it's just so smooth.
1:05
It, it, uh, s- sold out of our tasting room really quickly. Wow. It smells smooth. Yeah, it does. It smell, it's so nice. It's like [laughs] it, it really is.
1:14
And, uh, what's nice is, so all, all of these wines have had a, you know, a similar characteristic to them.
1:19
And, um, and man, the color on this, and then when, when I tasted this, yeah, it is, it's so much smoother than, than the others we tried. And that goes with the- Yeah... you said the 18 months, uh, that you aged it.
1:29
18 months- Yeah... definitely helps that. And then, uh, the vineyard is just incredible. It's a vineyard that's up against the cliffs, and it's beautiful. We have a house there that we rent out.
1:38
We can't afford living there. And, uh- [laughs] Yeah... so we, uh, like to visit though, and it's, uh, just, just a great place. And I think just that whole kind of environment around just makes a really good grape.
1:53
Yeah, uh, expand a little bit just in, in general about Palisade and- Yeah... and, uh, what makes that, that whole area so special. Right. It's a really pretty small area actually.
2:02
You know, it's, Colorado's gonna make some really excellent wine, but it's just not gonna be huge volume 'cause it's such a small area where they can grow the peaches and, uh, the grapes. And it's the,
2:14
uh, Box Canyon that the Colorado River comes through, uh, De Beque Canyon, and it's, uh, pretty narrow right before it gets to Palisade, and it kinda opens up right there.
2:23
And it's the wind coming down that canyon, at night particularly, that keeps away the frost and the cold air during the winter that makes it possible to grow the grapes. Wow. And then in the summer it does even better.
2:37
It makes it better for the fruit in that it really cools it off at night. You get that cold air coming off the mountains, coming down that valley, and it gets chilly.
2:47
You know, about 10:00 at night the wind reverses and all of a sudden it gets chilly, and it does wonders for the peaches and the grapes. Uh, they love that.
2:56
It keeps the acidity and the fruit flavors, and then it gets nice and toasty warm- Yeah... in the, uh, day. Mm-hmm. And then we get that fresh mountain water coming down off the mountains. Yep. Nice.
3:05
We irrigate with that, and, uh, can't get any better. Mm-mm. So that na- and then that wall, that wall of mountains as you're, as you're driving west as you just- Yeah...
3:14
get into Palisade, that, that's called the Bookcliffs. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So and that- Well, not very creative. That, that- No, that's okay. [laughs] No, I just want... [laughs] Not dogging you about that. Sorry, sorry.
3:24
[laughs] Just what, what you're named after. That, and people have probably driven through there, uh, lots of times and don't realize that's, that's the Bookcliffs. The Bookcliffs. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.
3:33
Yeah, they go on into Utah from that point, and, uh, really pretty. You know, it's fun to see 'em at night, you know, in the, the moonlight. Uh, some of my best memories are working in the vineyard when we first started.
3:44
I did a lot of work with my wife. You know, we'd go over every weekend and, uh, get out there and do things at night 'cause it's cooler. Um, plus we had little time, so we had to get stuff done no matter what. Mm-hmm.
3:56
And, uh, it's just magical. And then in the fall when you get the kind of warmer light from the sun being lower in the sky, you get these really beautiful colors come out in the cliffs there. Yep.
4:08
It's a, it's a beautiful place to be and, uh, and, and to visit anytime. Well, I, I have a stupid Cha question. Yeah.
4:14
But I'm gonna justify it by saying there's a lot of people that have moved into Colorado and they don't know. Oh, for sure. Okay. I've been here since '85 and I still don't know. Right. Where is Palisades? Oh.
4:26
Well- I, I, I don't know where it is. To- Seriously... yeah. I just get the peaches every year, but I really don't, don't even know where it is. Well- Get, get on I-70 and, uh, 237 miles west. Okay.
4:35
Yeah, go past- Okay... where Lindsey Vonn lives. Okay. And, uh- I'll wait. [laughs] Lindsey! And then right before you get to Grand Junction you go to this little town, and in the spring it's beautiful.
4:45
You go over there in April or March and things are still kinda brown here over in the Front Range, and it's all green over there. It's just amazing. They, when they w- they start irrigating and things just green up.
4:56
Okay, so it's before Grand Junction. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, about 11- See?... 11 miles before you get to Grand Junction and yep. I'm educating- Exit-... all the new, uh, folks that have arrived to Colorado. Exit 42.
5:07
And there you go. There you go. Exit 42. [laughs] Yeah. No, it's- And it's a nice drive, right? Yeah. It's a beautiful drive. Oh, it's a beautiful drive. Yeah, absolutely. And there's, there's bed and breakfasts there.
5:16
You know, obviously there's- Mm-hmm... there's hotels- Right... uh, if you go further to, uh, to Grand Junction, but- And a distillery and a brewery. Oh yeah, a distillery, a brewery, so. Right on. And peaches. Yeah.
5:28
And wine. Can't beat it. Yeah, it's, uh- And there's some, uh, you know, cuisine going on. There's some nice restaurants. The what? Cui- cuisine. Oh, cuisine. Cuisine. Oh, okay. Yeah. I thought what?
5:39
[laughs] No, it, they're doing some farm-to-table- What happens?... over there, which is pretty cool. Okay. Uh, I'm from Boulder, and you know, we're pretty proud of that. And, uh, it, it works for us.
5:49
We really like working with restaurants and- Yeah. Well, this, this summer I'm gonna do a, kind of a New Mexico-Colorado tour of places that I've always wanted to go that I've never been, you know?
6:00
So I'm gonna put Palisades on the, on the- Definitely... on the tour. Yeah, and you can loop around through, through, through other areas. There's, uh, Paonia- Okay And then, um, on down to the Four Corners area.
6:12
Right Um- And that's where I've never been. Oh, yeah. I, I've never been like to Farmington. I grew up in New Mexico, the southern part of the state. Right. But I've never been to like Farmington, to Four Corners.
6:21
That, I, I... That's what I wanna do. Yeah. I- I've been to Durango, and you know. It's all incredible, yeah. Yeah. It's beautiful. And yeah, Olathe is another grape-growing area.
6:29
It's gonna be higher elevation, so you got some of your cooler grapes. Is that where the corn comes from? Uh- That is... yeah, Olathe and the- Yeah, the sweet corn. Right. Yeah. [laughs] All right.
6:39
Olathe- See, I'm gonna go check all these places out in my little RV. Yes. [laughs] I'm getting the band together. All right. [laughs] We're gonna go on a road trip.
6:47
You're gonna, you're gonna cruise by in one of those, those rental, those rental ones, huh? [laughs] I am. Hey. Uh, yeah, we're go- I'm gonna go on tour this summer. All right.
6:57
But yeah, Paonia, it's got some great wineries there. Right on. Pinot noir. All right, so hook me up. You brought another, uh, another grape, uh- Yeah... that I had no idea.
7:06
I'm blown away that you're growing at, uh, Bookcliff Vineyards. Yeah. No, I, I like playing, and, uh, so can't stick with one thing. So I grow like 14 different varieties, and this one is called Graciano.
7:20
It's a grape that goes with, uh, Tempranillo. It's from the, originally from Spain. Mm-hmm. So where they grow Tempranillo, they also grow Graciano. Mm-mm. And, uh, it's a blending grape usually for Tempranillo.
7:36
Uh, this one we're gonna taste today is a straight up Graciano, so you get a idea of the character. Uh, kinda rustic, uh, fruity- Mm... you know, just really fun, fun wine. Very fruity. Yeah. Very.
7:50
Like lemons, like maybe- Yeah, a little acid, a little higher acid. Yeah, okay. Yeah. And so- I can feel I'm getting good. You are. You're killing it. Yeah. [laughs] I can taste the like orange, lemon, kinda like...
8:02
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, a little bit of acid in there. So we're talking about food, perfect food wine. You know, just really, uh, the two work together really well. And can you cook with these wines also?
8:12
Yeah, although it'd be a shame. Yeah, right. But long as it's in your glass when you're cooking, you're good. That's right. [laughs] That's a good... Hey, so how much, what do you guy...
8:21
Well, so what does that one, uh, retail for? Um- And you only sell that at the tasting room? Yeah, just at the taste room at this point. Okay. Really small quantities, but we've planted more.
8:29
We, it's a grape that, uh, you know, Colorado, it's tough. We get some really harsh winters. Gets really cold and, uh, some varieties just don't like that.
8:37
This one holds up and, uh, does really well, so we've planted more. So once we get up and running with the new vineyards, we'll, we'll let, let y'all buy some grapes if you want. Yeah.
8:50
Oh yeah, [laughs] I'm coming to get you. All right. I told you I was, so- But- I need some Malbec. I need some... You know what?
8:56
And I gotta tell a funny story because, um, I met this couple, uh, this is probably 10 years ago. Yeah. Uh, you, uh, you know who I'm talking about, uh, Chris and Chris, K2 Vineyard. Uh-huh, yeah.
9:08
And they approached me at Wine Fest and said, "Hey, we have a little Malbec vineyard, and, uh, you know, do you wanna make some, you know, we wanna sell you our grapes."
9:16
I was like, "Yeah, that's great, but, you know, it's not ready yet." So then like 2009 came, not ready, you know, 'cause I, there, I think there was a- Takes a while. Yeah, takes a while.
9:23
And then the next year, and then just as I, I was patiently waiting, I thought, "Oh, right on, I'm gonna buy some Malbec from these guys," uh, they mo- they sold. They called me, said, "Hey, Paul, we're leaving town.
9:33
We're moving to California." Yeah. And then, and then, uh, then John, John- Uh-oh. Look who showed up... yeah, look who showed up. [laughs] Oh, dang. John contracts the vineyard- Well...
9:42
and I'm, and I'm sitting here going, "Oh, man." [laughs] All right. Well, I'm planting more, Paul, so- All right, that's what I like to hear. Yeah, so you have an opportunity. You have an opportunity. Yeah. Thank you.
9:54
Yeah, I've only, I've only made Malbec a few times, um, one, two... Actually two times. Yeah, so. Yeah. No, like I say, the, it's not widely planted yet and, um, you know, it, it is a tougher grape.
10:07
We were talking about how the winters are kinda rough on some of these guys, and Malbec is a little more sensitive.
10:13
It, uh, has to be in the, the best place possible in all your vineyards and otherwise it'll get a lot of winter damage. Sure. Yeah. Are the, uh, um, purple grapes or the white grapes easier or harder to grow?
10:25
Is there any difference? Um, n- it's not so much the color, it's the variety. Okay. And, you know, you're talking about white grapes. Uh, Chardonnay is probably the easiest. Mm-hmm. It's really well-behaved.
10:35
It just really kinda stands up. The shoots go straight up. They don't flop over. Uh, Merlot is the laziest.
10:42
It like, uh, the shoots go up a little ways and then they just kinda fold over on themselves, and so we're always having to go through the vineyards and kind of propping them up. Oh, okay.
10:53
Yeah, we wanna get those shoots kind of- Because they're heavy, they kind of just fall over, or? Well, these don't have a lot of, uh, tendency to go up. Okay.
10:59
You know, some varieties just like, like to grow upwards- Mm-hmm... and others, and others don't. So- Okay. Awesome... so yeah, but- I've learned a lot here today. All right. I really truly have. I've learned a lot.
11:11
Oh, very good. So I thank you for that, and I thank you, Paulie, for having me. Oh, yeah, you're welcome. Thanks for being here, so. How many glasses have you had already?
11:18
[laughs] I'm barely working on my coffee and Egg McMuffin, and Paulie's through four glasses of wine already. [laughs] I'm making up for that wine I busted on the porch. All right, cha cha. Exactly.
11:27
[laughs] You gotta catch up. You gotta try a little more. Okay, okay, okay. Let me see. Here we go. And yeah, so this is good.
11:31
Graciano, I had no idea, and, uh, I've had it, uh, from California a couple times, but- I, I like this one. Yeah. Yeah, this is a good one. It, and this is- Third sip is better, huh? Yeah, it's really good.
11:40
I like that one a lot. Yeah, this i- this is awesome stuff. Yeah.
11:44
And, um, and, and you know, and that's the, that's the key is to go out and, um, and, and search the Colorado section and you can find grapes, um, you know, that were, that were growing very well here in Colorado.
11:55
There's obviously there's Cabernet Sauvignon, there's Merlot, there's Chardonnay. There's lots of great stuff, even Cabernet Franc, uh, which is one that shines, and Syrah. I know you grow- Yeah...
12:04
you grow Syrah and, uh- Yeah, our Cab Franc, uh, won best Cab Franc in the country a few years back at the Los Angeles International. Oh, wow. Wow. I wasn't aware of that. Yeah, yeah.
12:12
We, so we beat out California, beat out Washington State, all known for a great Cab Franc. Wow, nice. So little old Colorado did it. Right on. See? See? Untapped market- Yeah... right? I think so. Yeah.
12:25
People just need to get the word and, uh, and go try some wines. I mean, it, it's not, it's not the... I mean, the story I always hear, they- Hmm...
12:34
is, "Oh, I tried one," they didn't like it, or they tried one, it was too sweet. And you know what? If you, if you took that approach to all the California wines, you'd, you would quit trying California too.
12:43
Yeah, you'd- Exactly... you'd stop drinking I think. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. And it supports local business, you know, our state, and it's just something, you know, that, that, that comes from our state.
12:52
So it's, it's just, you know, makes us proud- Yeah, and it's a-... that you, you pick our wine... hell of a deal. I mean, we're not discovered yet. Yeah. So, uh, your- So beat the crowds. Exactly.
13:00
So your assignment this week is to go out, try some Colorado wine, and then, uh, let me and Cha know about it. Next week, yeah. That's right. Call us.
13:06
Let us know, you know, let us know how it, how it was, if you liked it, if you had, what you had it with, what you paired it with, all that kinda stuff. Heck yeah.
13:14
And, um, check us out at, uh, at Denver Wine Radio, and, uh, you can find us online too, denverwineradio.com. Hey, so, uh, here's your job, put some altitude in your glass. There you go. Ah. Ooh. All right.
13:28
I like that, Paulie. See what- And drink local. Here- Okay... let me pour you another glass. All right. Hey, salute to National Drink Wine Day- Salud... and Colorado wine. And, uh, drink and party responsibly, always.
13:39
[upbeat 50s music] It's so easy. It's all right
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