STRONGHOLD - An Equilateral Collaboration

2007 marks an important year in wine history with the coming together of two men who plan to launch Arizona into the fine wine scene. Eric Glomski (Owner/Director of Winemaking at Page Springs Cellars and previously Winemaker at David Bruce Winery), Maynard Keenan (Owner of Caduceus Cellars and singer for some po-dunk band called TOOL) have come together under the banner of Arizona Stronghold Vineyards.

Keenan and Glomski, founders of the Company, knowing that quality fruit is the key to all winemaking endeavors, set out to transform the ageing Dos Cabezas Vineyard near Willcox, Arizona into a top notch, high quality effort. Poorly performing varietals were ripped up or grafted over in the first year, and several acres of new plantings have already been planted. The core of the red plantings are Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Tempranillo and Sangiovese with Viognier and Malvasia Bianca anchoring the white plantings. (Several other varietals also supplement these grapes.)

Stronghold has teamed up with Quench Fine Wines who will act as the sole wholesale distributor for Arizona Stronghold Vineyards wines. Quench was chosen because of their dedication to quality both in their product selection and their sales service. The first Stronghold wine, TAZI, a white blend, will be released in March of 2008. The first two reds NACHISE (a Grenache based Rhone Blend) and MANGUS (a Super Tuscan Sangiovese based blend) will grace our palates in the Fall of 2008. Stronghold’s goal is to put fine Arizona wine on tables throughout the State.

Eric Glomski - Vineyard Founder and Director of Winemaking

Eric’s love for wine grew during his previous profession as a vegetation and landscape ecologist. During a two year research project in Central Arizona, Eric harvested heirloom apples, pears, peaches and quince from abandoned homesteads that he came across in his field journeys. It was sniffing his first apple wine that led him to realize that wine is “liquid landscape”. More than just the fruit that was harvested, the wine somehow captured the essence of the whole landscape that that plant had grown and fruited in. The French call this term “terroir”. These first forays at home winemaking led him to California.

In the mid 90’s he briefly worked harvest at Limerick Lane, a small Old Vine Zinfandel producer in Sonoma County California. After leaving Sonoma, Eric worked for several years at David Bruce Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Working his way up from Cellar Worker, Assistant Production Manager, Production Manager and Assistant Winemaker over the course of five years, he became Co-Winemaker and Director of Production in 2001. During his tenure at David Bruce, Eric also pursued a great deal of coursework at the University of California at Davis in Viticulture and Enolog. Read more about Eric

Maynard Keenan - Founder and Vigneron

My mission statement and manifesto for Stronghold Vineyards, in Cochise County, Arizona, may at first glance appear to be somewhat eccentric, and all around romantically delusional. But allow me to bend your ear over a glass or two of our juice, and you may find our overall goals here to be quite utilitarian and down right grounded. By the time you get to the bottom of the glass you may very well have forgotten for a moment that I'm one of those "artist types." Or more convinced. Either way, allow me to take the long way around what should have been a relatively simple explanation.

It feels as though we as a culture have become disconnected. We're constantly dreaming up ways to give away more and more of our power. We've lost touch with our ability to make fire, find fresh water, to hunt, gather, or cultivate our own food, even to have a simple conversation without utilizing some electronic gizmo. So in a nutshell, for me, this project is about reconnecting. It's about rekindling a relationship with the Earth, to our community, to each other. A sustainable bullet-proof relationship that can withstand the most hostile of climates. In the wake of extreme changes, be they political, social, environmental, only a relationship such as this can survive.

Cochise and his family and community are the perfect examples of such a relationship. Hostile territory is an understatement. But their connection with the Earth and with each other was their salvation.

Connection, Communion, Co-existence, Compassion. Cochise. Stronghold. Salute'!

Lisa Rhodes - Business Manager

My journey to Arizona Stronghold Vineyards has been a long and winding road. I was born in Kentucky, raised in Maryland, and spent most of my life (so far) in Tennessee. While in Tennessee, I got my undergrad degree from Vanderbilt and my MBA from the Massey School of Business. I was working for the Grammy Awards organization when I met my future husband, the incredibly talented musician (and Arizona Blues Hall of Fame member), Danny Rhodes.

Danny moved to Arizona for family reasons, and I soon followed. We’ve been out here for 10 years now – I’m finally learning to appreciate the desert climate! Since moving here, I’ve bounced around a little from job to job, searching for a place I could call home. I spent 3 happy years with the now defunct Sedona Cultural Park, and was unhappily working for a high end hotel when I learned about the job at Page Springs. I figured ‘what the heck’, and sent in my resume. I was thrilled when I got the job.

I’ve been here almost two years now, and what a difference two years makes! I started out doing accounting for Page Springs Vineyards and Cellars and am now Business Manager for those two companies, as well as Arizona Stronghold Vineyards. It’s great having a job where your boss often comes into the office with a glass of wine and says ‘taste this!’ Finally, a place I can call home!

Tim White - Winemaker

Hello, my name is Tim White. I rarely, if ever, talk or write about myself, so maybe the best way for me to proceed is to give a little background information and how that led to my coming to be part of the Stronghold and Page Springs family.

I fell in love with wine early in life, but never considered it as a career option, (I figured, I’ll be a wino while doing a bunch of stuff for a living that I’d rather not do). Fast forward several years to 2003, most of my immediate family moved from Raleigh, North Carolina to southwest Virginia. After visiting a few times, they took me to a local winery. Well, I became what some of my family and friends (depending on who you talk to) would refer to as very passionate, a little extreme, to outright obsessed. I begged for a job, and after a few volunteer bottling sessions, I was thrown into Harvest of 2004. I was completely overwhelmed, but realized immediately that I loved this insane process.

Over the next three years, I absorbed everything I could from work and my own pursuits of wine education. I also began to realize there was a growing void and I needed a change—something different. I will always have a deep appreciation for the training I received with my previous employer, but being an 80,000 case winery left little room for art, creativity, and the minimalist approach that I have for winemaking. And too many times, numbers were substituted for the most important part of all, tasting. So I made the decision to leave, sending my resume to all my favorite wineries, hoping to find a place to pursue my winemaking career around like-minded people with similar philosophies.

Following a bit of searching I came across an ad Eric posted. After a quick email to him, a few phone conversations, a visit to Arizona and Page Springs Cellars, the support of my partner and son, and listening to my intuition… I found exactly what I was looking for. (Thank-you, Eric.) I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity, and hope to be here for a long time to come, making my small contribution to what I strongly believe to be an amazing step in Arizona’s winemaking future, and continuing with Eric’s philosophy of making meaningful and lasting relationships in the community.

I will leave things by offering a favorite quote that sums up my love/obsession with wine, why it speaks to my soul, and how it has led me here.

“True quality is that which succeeds in surprising and moving us. It is not locked inside a formula. Its essence is subtle (subjective) and never rational. It resides in the unique, the singular, but it is ultimately connected to something more universal. A great wine is one in which quality is contained. Such a wine will necessarily be uncommon and decidedly unique because it cannot be like any other, and because of this fact it will be atypical, or typical only of itself.”- Andre Ostertag

Quench Fine Wines - The Distributor

Long term commitments to Wine & Arizona:

Quench is not a hobby, not a 36 month project, not run by people new to Arizona, new to the wine business or who seek to stock their own cellar. We are not directed by an out of state concern that has different priorities for your brand in different markets, we are not 'collectors' of jewels, we belong to no 'cults' and we hope to raise the level of wine buying in Arizona in the coming years while providing excellent employment for people who love wine.

Quench Fine Wines
21241 N. 23rd Ave #21 • Phoenix, AZ 85027
623.587.0427 phone • 623.587.0797 fax
www.quenchaz.com • info@quenchaz.com

 

Arizona Stronghold Vineyards was formed to put Arizona on the Fine Wine Map

Circa 2007 A.D. 
Arizona Stronghold Vineyards was formed to put Arizona on the fine wine map. While small bastions of artistry have made a few waves with wine aficionados, Arizona still remains a vinous backwater in the minds of the wine world. Despite this, there is a distinct hunger in Arizona for indigenous wines. The potential to make great wine has always existed in the Southwest, yet the talent and willingness to invest here had yet to fully blossom until recently. We believe the soils and climate at our vineyards stand up to the finest in the world. Growing fine wines in Arizona is all about elevation.  There is a perfect “Mediterranean Band” in the mid Arizona elevations between the heat of Phoenix and the cold of Flagstaff.  This is where we farm.  We also feel strongly that our wines express, first and foremost, Arizona, and secondarily the grapes and hands of the vignerons involved. 

Great wine doesn’t have to be expensive; it doesn’t have to be pretentious; and it shouldn’t be hard to find. It just has to be great and it has to be made by people that care. ASV is all about place, people, quality and value. Enjoy a taste of Arizona from the bottle and open your mind to the potential of our stunning landscape. 

Cheers!

Eric Glomski & Maynard Keenan Founders & Vignerons

 

A HISTORY OF PEOPLE AND PLACE

Arizona Stronghold Vineyards lies between the massive mountains Dragoon and Chiricahua

Year 2008

Arizona Stronghold Vineyards lies between the massive mountains Dragoon and Chiricahua. The most prominent edifice, and the source of our name, lies on the eastern flank of the Dragoons – the Cochise Stronghold.

For fifteen years, this rugged natural fortress was the home and base of operations for the mighty Chiricahua Apache Chief, Cochise. Cochise and about 1,000 of his followers, 250 of which were fighting men, sought refuge within the maze-like rocks of the Stronghold. Sentinels, constantly on watch from the towering pinnacles of rock, could spot their enemies in the valley below and sweep down without warning. No one within a hundred miles was safe from these attacks and few would dare venture into the jaws of the Stronghold.

Historical accounts document Cochise constantly warring with Mexican troops that were encroaching upon Apache homelands. They also suggest that he gave very little heed to burgeoning white settlements until he attended a meeting (under the white flag of truce) in 1861 with the U.S. military to deny charges that one of his people had abducted a white child. The commanding U.S. officer ordered the six attending chiefs seized and bound because they would not confess. One was killed and four were caught as they resisted arrest. Cochise cut through the side of the tent and fled, suffering multiple bullet wounds. Within weeks, all white settlements for miles and miles were laid waste to avenge the hanging of the chiefs that hadn’t escaped. War had begun with the dishonorable whites.

Soon afterward military posts in the area were abandoned as troops were recalled to take part in the Civil war. This falsely convinced the Apache that they needed only to fight to prevent whites from settling in their lands. Cochise and Mangas Coloradas, leader of the Mimbres Apache, later defended Apache pass in southeast Arizona against the Californians, who marched under General James Carleton to reopen communication between the Pacific coast and the east. The Californians were armed with howitzers which quickly overwhelmed the Apache who fled to their many refuges in the neighboring mountains. Still, the Apache refused to surrender. When United States troops returned to resume the occupancy of the country after the close of the Civil war, a war of extermination was carried out against the Apache.

Cochise, reputed to have been a master strategist and leader, was never conquered in battle. By some historic accounts he was deemed a viscous killer, others deify him as a freedom fighter and hero who refused subjugation. Only one thing is clear: that Cochise witnessed the murder of many of his people (including his wife, father in law, and many of his friends who were chiefs of his neighboring tribes) at the hands of Mexicans and whites. One can only imagine the affect this would have on a man.

In addition to his warrior prowess, Cochise was a wise and intelligent man. He realized that despite his peoples’ knowledge of the terrain and their ability to survive with scant resources, he could not fight back the tides. In 1872 he came to terms with the white man and lived out the remaining two years of his life in peace before his death in 1874. Upon his death, he was secretly buried somewhere in or near his impregnable Stronghold fortress. The exact location has never been revealed nor determined.

His oldest son, Tazi, held on to and sought to expand the peace with the white man after Cochise’s death. Tazi, unfortunately, died of pneumonia traveling to Washington D.C. seeking to expand upon native rights. Nachise, Cochise’s youngest son, resumed war on the white man upon becoming leader after his brother’s death. Unequipped for leadership, Nachise was strongly influenced by the fabled Geronimo who befriended him during his adolescence. A respected medicine man, Geronimo acted as a teacher and mentor for Nachise. In the 1880's, Nachise and Geronimo banded together and resumed raids on white settlements. After years of successful campaigns and repeated capture and escapes, Geronimo and Nachise surrendered in 1886 and were moved to reservations.

Today, Cochise, Nachise and Tazi’s descendants live in Mescalaero, New Mexico. Nachise’s are the largest family living there. Apparently, everyone living here knows who is related to each of these prominent leaders.

Our Vineyard, the Cochise Stronghold National Monument, the town of Cochise, the county of Cochise, and the renowned geological feature known as Cochise's Head in the Chiricahua Mountains are all tributes to Cochise.

May the example of his life echo in our memories and resound in the canyons and valleys that surround us. And may our wines embody the strength and wisdom of the Chiricahua Apache.

Stronghold!

ASV farms the eastern and northern edges of the Sulfur Springs Valley

Arizona Stronghold owns 200 acres and we organically farm grapes on 110 acres in southeastern Arizona.  Our Stronghold vineyard, located in Kansas Settlement, 15 miles south of Willcox, AZ, lies in Cochise County and our Bonita Springs Vineyard can be found 20 miles north of Willcox in Graham County.  We source the overwhelming majority of our grapes from our own estate, but sometimes dabble with other growers fruit to explore other expressions of our great state.  These additions never comprise more than 15% of our total production.

 

Arizona Stronghold Vineyards

ASV lies at the eastern edge of Sulfur Springs Valley (alongside the Willcox Playa) in a small, unincorporated area known as the Kansas Settlement. The vineyard site is 80 acres with 70 acres currently under vine. The soils here are relatively deep loams and clay-loams interspersed with cobbles. The vineyard sits at 4300 feet and experiences up to 50 degree fluctuations in diurnal temperatures during the growing season. Harvest usually starts in late August and runs into early October.

The oldest 20 acres of the vineyard were planted in 1983 by a gentleman named Robert Webb for his R.W. Webb Winery. This section of the vineyard was originally planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and small, experimental quantities of Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay. In 2007, ASV grafted the experimental block over to 100% Petite Sirah and about 3 acres of the Sauvignon Blanc to Syrah. The other historic blocks remain. The oldest vines here are 27 year in age.

The middle aged 20 acres were planted in 1995 by Al Buhl, founder of Dos Cabezas Winery. This block was planted to Malvasia Bianca, Sangiovese, Pinot Gris, Syrah, Chardonnay and Viognier. All these blocks remain excepting 2 acres of Chardonnay that have been grafted over to Viognier by ASV. This block is 13 years old.

In 2001, Al Buhl and Film Director Sam Pillsbury partnered on an additional 20 acres which they donned “Norte”. Norte was planted to Petite Sirah, Malvasia Bianca, Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Tempranillo and Graciano. This block is 9 years old. The Graciano never took and was replaced with Cabernet Sauvignon in 2008. 

In 2003 Buhl and Pillsbury also planted a small outlying block to the west of Norte which was named the “nursery” block, as it was planted alongside the nursery where vine cuttings for replanting dead vines are rooted.  This block is planted to Sangiovese Grosso, Syrah and Grenache.

ASV has also planted an additional 2 acres of Mourvedre and 2 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec on Norte in 2007. We have also recently planted the remaining 20 acres with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malvasia, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Pfeffer and Syrah.