Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Turquoise Mesa Winery (Colorado) June 4, 2005
Turquoise Mesa is a new winery, and we got to taste their first vintages. It was a mixed bag, but I'm glad we tried them anyways. They only have
white wine available right now, the reds will be finished in the next couple of months. To my knowledge they don't grow their own grapes, but they do make their own wines. I'm not sure if they are going to continue sourcing their grapes or if they
have started a vineyard. A new vineyard would take several years before it would produce usable grapes. Whatever the answers, it's exciting to see more people starting wineries in Colorado.
So what did we get to taste? The first one was a blend of semillon and sauvignon blanc. This was their 2004 Sunset White table wine. This is a golden color with medium legs. Had a sweet nose reminiscent of muscat. I didn't particularly like
this one, it was light flavored but the biggest thing that came to my mind was soap. It's the first try, so hopefully subsequent vintages will get better. Grade: D
Next up was the 2004 Viognier, I was excited to try this as I have little to no experience tasting viognier. Has a light gold coloring with medium legs with a semi-sweet fruit nose. Has decent fruit flavors. Is smooth and has a good amount of dryness. Refreshing. Grade: C+
The last one was their 2004 Chardonnay. This had a light gold coloring with medium legs and melon on the nose. This was light, refreshing and had just the slightest touch of oak, enough to add depth but not overwhelm anything. Has a clean,
pleasant and long finish. Reminded me of a french style of chardonnay, light and food friendly. Grade: B
white wine available right now, the reds will be finished in the next couple of months. To my knowledge they don't grow their own grapes, but they do make their own wines. I'm not sure if they are going to continue sourcing their grapes or if they
have started a vineyard. A new vineyard would take several years before it would produce usable grapes. Whatever the answers, it's exciting to see more people starting wineries in Colorado.
So what did we get to taste? The first one was a blend of semillon and sauvignon blanc. This was their 2004 Sunset White table wine. This is a golden color with medium legs. Had a sweet nose reminiscent of muscat. I didn't particularly like
this one, it was light flavored but the biggest thing that came to my mind was soap. It's the first try, so hopefully subsequent vintages will get better. Grade: D
Next up was the 2004 Viognier, I was excited to try this as I have little to no experience tasting viognier. Has a light gold coloring with medium legs with a semi-sweet fruit nose. Has decent fruit flavors. Is smooth and has a good amount of dryness. Refreshing. Grade: C+
The last one was their 2004 Chardonnay. This had a light gold coloring with medium legs and melon on the nose. This was light, refreshing and had just the slightest touch of oak, enough to add depth but not overwhelm anything. Has a clean,
pleasant and long finish. Reminded me of a french style of chardonnay, light and food friendly. Grade: B
