Five Great Wines from Sonoita, Arizona

Southern Arizona, land of ocotillo, ironwood, mesquite, and saguaro cacti, seems like one of the least likely places in the U.S.A., or on earth, to yield quality wines. However, just as its mountain ranges provide ecological "sky island" refuges for flora adapted to cooler, wetter weather, they also create at least one microclimate suited for viticulture.

Near the towns of Sonoita and Elgin, AZ, about forty miles south-southeast of Tucson, the Santa Rita Mountains, Patagonia Mountains, and Canelo Hills converge in a high, rolling grassland, similar in some ways to the Altar Valley but also to the cool Chihuahuan desert to the east. There is no Texas Canyon style climb on the drive from Tucson to Sonoita, but it is 4800 feet above sea level, 2600' higher than the city. The soil in this high valley is well-drained and feeds several perennial streams, the most famous being Sonoita Creek. Viticulture is certainly challenging here, with thirty-degree temperature swings between day and night, low precipitation, and, more perversely, summer monsoon moisture that can cause grapes of tightly-clustured varietals to rot even in the desert. Wines from the area can be green or hot (overly alcoholic), but as time goes on vinters and winemakers are learning how to work with the land, average quality is improving, and the best area wines are now easily comparable to quality wines from California or Europe. A local style is emerging, too: lush but not jammy wine with food-friendly acid, made of Italian, Spanish, and Rhône varietals.

Tasting in the Sonoita/Elgin area, the State of Arizona's only designated appellation (American Viticultural Area), is the best way to learn the best and find personal favorites. Tasting can easily be combined with Dragoon or Huachuca mountain hiking or light hiking and birdwatching near Patagonia. For those shopping for Arizona wines, perhaps in Phoenix or Tucson, or planning a trip, I provide five recommendations:

1. Callaghan Vineyards "Back Lot Cuvée". From the area's most acclaimed and most consistently good winery (which I have reveiwed elsewhere), the Sonoita AVA's best wine, a mourvedre/syrah field blend which compares favorably with "Rhône Ranger" wines from California. Excellent varietal character is exhibited: bramble fruit, tobacco, warm spices, ripe tannins, and a hint of white pepper from the syrah. The "Back Lot Cuvée" is lush verging on chewy, but in good years not palate-coating, and its generous acidity makes it food friendly even though most wines this "big" are mere tasting-room beauty queens.
2. "Hawk's Flight Albariño" (Wilhelm Family Vineyards). I'm cheating slightly by including Wilhelm Family Vineyards wines in this list; their current wines--labeled "Hawk's Flight" so nobody will think them estate wines--are being made from sourced grapes from the varietals they have planted and in the style they would like to produce. The first estate wines will be released this Fall. Winemaker Karyl Wilhelm has shown both tastefullness and skill; if we can take the "Hawk's Flight wines" to be indicative of what is to come--if the Wilhelms prove to be as good at viticulture as they are at winemaking--Wilhelm Family Vineyards could easily rival Callaghan. Varietal albariño is not very common. This is actually the first example I've encountered, and it makes me wish more producers had the same idea; albariño has apricot-like flavors without viognier's heaviness. The "Hawk's Flight Albariño", made of grapes sourced from Lodi, is bright and perfectly structured, dry and refreshing, and would be an excellent accompaniement to roast pork, chicken, enchiladas, or tomato salad.
3. "Hawk's Flight 'Kristian's Kianti'" (Wilhelm Family Vineyards). As the name might indicate, this is mostly if not entirely sangiovese. It's made from California grapes, but Village of Elgin Winery's sangiovese-based wines (see below) indicate that Arizona can produce high-quality sangiovese. This one shows off some of the best the varietal has to offer: generous acidity, moderate tannins, strong cherry aromas and taste to match, accented with a hint of oak.
4. Sonoita Vineyards "Sonoita Fumé". Strangely, Sonoita Vineyards is on the road south of Elgin. Close enough, and most of their wines are from the Sonoita AVA. The site is somewhat interesting; vines are growing on the side of a hill--nothing unusual there--but the rows are separated by low rock dikes, like an ancient Hohokam agave farm. Sonoita Vineyards' off-dry whites were both insipid and oversulfited, but their dry whites were at least alright and this one, a sauvignon blanc, was a standout. "Terroir" has been shown to be largely fancy and fakery--growing vines in chalky soil doesn't make for chalky wines--but I suspect that smokiness in sauvignon blanc is more like the color of a hydrangea or the sweetness of a white onion than it is like terroir; only certain regions seem to be able to bring it out. Maybe it is just the barrels and local style, and maybe only highly concentrated, strong sauv blanc can accept the treatment. Given how reluctant winemakers have been to come clean about terroir, I don't think we'll learn the answer anytime soon. But what I do know is that this is a highly concentrated sauvignon blanc, and that it's also among the smokiest out there. Judiciously oaky, with smoky and grassy aromas and a tart citruslike finish, this would go well with herb-rubbed grilled chicken or almost anything with lemon garnish. Think of this as white Bordeaux at less than half the price.
5. Village of Elgin Winery "Old World Cuvée". Almost every growing region has one: a "demotic" winery with low prices and giant lists, as though the two go together. In Napa, it's Beringer. In Sonoita/Elgin, it's the Village of Elgin Winery. Village of Elgin Winery has the lowest prices in the area, and its wine list is like a Chinese restaurant menu. There's far too much on it, making it difficult to choose the four pours that constitute a tasting. Pick a few and get chatty enough with the Village of Elgin Winery pourers and they'll offer suggestions and an extra pour or two--but don't ask for extra pours because you read about it on the Internet! At least two Sangiovese wines, both of which compare favorably with Tuscan wines of the same price. This one, made of Arizona grapes, is leaner than Wilhelm Family's, it's certainly a blend (the blending grapes are unspecified), and I'd say it's a bit oakier, but that would be inaccurate. The "Old World Cuvée" is aged in chestnut. Until recently, that would have been a far more common choice of wood for cooperage in Central Italy, and some Italian wineries still use chestnut barrelst, hence the choice. The flavor profile is subtly but noticeably different, and chestnut is known to impart more tannin to wine than oak. Particulars of cooperage aside, I recommend this homage to Tuscany because it is one of the area's best wines, not because it's experimental. But when you taste it, take a moment to notice just how strange those Arizona oak trees must be.