Our Winemaking Credo

 

In our fast food, techno-driven, work more hours than you can handle, tasteless rock hard tomato world, wine too has become a commodity that is designed to withstand the rigors of transport and dubious wholesale and retail storage conditions –  all at the expense of flavor and true quality.

Stronghold is committed to bringing you minimally mucked-with wines that retain their natural vitality and character.

Case and Point: The Tomato Metaphor (or Heat and Cold stability)

The vast majority of white wines you see on shelves go through the process of heat and cold stabilization. Heat Stabilization involves adding large amounts of Bentonite Clay to wines prior to bottling in order to pull out invisible proteins. These proteins can become visible (and form a haze) if the wine is exposed to warm conditions for long periods of time or high heat for shorter a period (aka leaving the wine in your trunk, on top of the fridge, on your dash board or next to the stove that you’re cooking that tasty meal on). These proteins are harmless and basically flavorless. The problem here is that adding Bentonite to remove protein often strips wine of a portion of its flavor and body.

Additionally, most white wines also go through the process of Cold Stabilization as well. One of the primary acids naturally occurring in grapes is called Tartaric. When chilled for long periods of time, tartaric acid can precipitate to form tiny crystals called potassium bitartrate. You may have seen these on the bottom of a cork or even at the bottom of a bottle from time to time. Again, these crystals are perfectly harmless. Unfortunately, the cure for this harmless visual trait is to add large quantities of cream of tartar (as a seed for acids to attach to) to the wine while stirring and chilling it for many days. This process usually beats up the wine and changes its character prior to this aggressive process.

In both of these scenarios, taste and character fall prey to good looks. What’s more, many wine industry marketeers assume that the public is too daft to steer around such obstacles intellectually. We disagree.

Here is where the tomato comes in. You must ask yourself: Do I want a tomato that tastes and feels great in my mouth or do I want something that looks great, holds well on the shelf, and ultimately tastes like grainy cardboard? Our wines are the heirloom tomatoes of the vinous realm – only they look good too – unless you mistreat them. We figure if Americans can enjoy Hefeweizen, unprocessed wines shouldn’t be much of a leap. Please enjoy our wines alongside an open mind.

TAZI, eldest son of Cochise and peacemaker for the Chiricahua Apache
Sauvignon Blanc (52%), Chardonnay (21%), Riesling (19%), Malvasia (8%)

Current Release - '08

 

Arizona Stronghold is planted to five white varietals ranging in ages from seven to twenty-five years. Four of these five, which include Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Malvasia Bianca, all play part in TAZI. The Chardonnay, although picked early to avoid too much softness, adds body and texture to the blend. The Sauvignon Blanc contributes acidity and freshness. Riesling certainly boosts the fruit characters of the wine as well as the finish. Malvasia is all about aromatics. This vino-quattro is both fruity and floral, deep and complex, at times revealing, in other instances, elusive.

Aged in a mixture of stainless steel and neutral oak, this wine shows best at cellar temperature – about 58 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If over chilled, the Sauvignon Blanc tends to dominate and the wine is sharper. With a little more warmth, the mandarin orange from the Riesling and the floral, tropical flavors from the Malvasia shine. Like all serious wines, time in the glass also helps this wine to open up like the peeling of petals from a flower. This is quintessential Arizona.

 

Vintage: 2008
Vineyard: ASV (81%), Scheid Viento (Sauv Blanc) (19%)
Pick brix: 21-25
Harvest dates: 8/27-10/8
Grapes: Sauv Blanc (52%), Chardonnay (21%), Riesling (19%), Malvasia (8%)
PH: 3.34
TA: 7.4
Alcohol: 13.7
Ferment: Stainless steel, temp. controlled
Ageing: Stainless and neutral oak
Bottled: 4/30/09
Bottles: vinocor Vinbro1 antique green 750 mL cork finish
Corks: synthetic - nomacorc premium
Cases: 1967

NACHISE, youngest and fiercest, warrior and freedom fighter for the Chiricahua Apache.
52% Syrah 27% Grenache 15% Petite Sirah 6% Mourverdre

Current Release - '08

The bulk of the grapes that went into this wine came from the middle aged and “Norte” blocks of Arizona Stronghold Vineyard. The middle aged block is planted to an unknown syrah clone that was acquired by Al Buhl of Dos Cabazas in the early 1990’s. At picking, this fruit had very rustic flavors with good acidity and a lot of earth, spice, dark fruit and leafy characters. The syrah from the Norte block is a clone from Australia known as Shiraz-1. It showed more tannin on the palate with brighter, fresher fruit characters as well a lavender and pepper. Norte was also the primary source for the grenache and petite sirah that went into this wine which lent red fruit and a deep color, respectively.

The finished wine bears resemblance to a medium to full bodied Rhone blend. Spices and herbs typify this wine ranging from lavender to toasted sage to white pepper round out an earthy nose packed with blueberries, blackberries and aromas from the desert landscape, including tree bark, dried juniper berries, pine cones and dusty earth. Plush dark fruit gives way quickly to an exceptional, old world, drying tannin midpalate with dark dusty mocha notes that lead to a lingering black raspberry finish.

MANGUS Coloradas, Cochise’s father in law and brother in arms Leader of the Mimbres Clan of Apache
55% Cabernet Sauvignon 36% Sangiovese 9% Merlot

Current Release - '08

Mangus was one of the more interesting projects at our winery. As we set out to create a Super Tuscan blend a very food friendly, red fruit driven, perfumed Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend. The Sangiovese came from the middle aged block of ASV. This component was loaded with red cherry fruit, great acid and a pretty, flowery nose. The Cabernet Sauvignon added light spicy green and earthy notes. The Merlot came from exclusively old vines on the site, only yielding one ton per acre.

The wine itself is medium to light bodied Sangiovese based Italian style wine with ample bright red fruit, cardamom spice and creamy vanilla bean tones, hints of dried rose petals, dried berries and mild notes of earthy leather on the nose. Light grippy tannins backed by firm, lush acidity lead to a concentrated dried fruit finish.

DAYDEN Apache for “little girl”
Zinfandel, Grenache, Sangiovese, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc

Current Release - '09

This “Little Girl” is the newest release from Arizona Stronghold Winery. Crafted by the process called Saigne, which means, “to bleed”, in French. After a light crushing, fresh juice is bled off the skins, of the classic grape varietals we chose for this Cuvee. This juice only takes on a little of the color of the grape skins, due to the short time in contact with the skins. This results in the soft pink color of the wine. The wine is then fermented, like a white wine, in stainless steel tanks.

 

If you’ve been to the South of France you already know what this wine is all about. A floral and fruity nose leads to a rich and full-bodied wine that can handle a much wider variety of foods than your average white wine. Now that Rosé has become quite fashionable, we can all drink it without any shame. Our 2009 Dayden has an uncanny ability to make people smile with its fragrance alone. Quality rosé, is a serious wine that happens to be serious fun. The Dayden is all about subtlety and finesse. Delicate strawberries, sour cherry and floral flavors are wrapped in a rich texture with crisp acidity, to keep it refreshing.

 

The inherent casual nature of Rosé lends itself to simple lighter fare, such as charcuterie, smoked fish or ahi tuna sashimi. It is also quite at home in any picnic basket with cold roast chicken and potato salad, or a rare roast beef sandwich.

Vintage: 2009
Vineyards: Bonita Springs, Arizona Stronghold, Ancient Peaks, Ranchita
Canyon, Scheid
Pick brix: 19-25
Harvest dates: 9/2/2009-9/27/2009
Grapes: Zinfandel, Grenache, Sangiovese, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc
pH: 3.49
TA (g/l): 6.9
Alcohol: 11.9
Ferment: Stainless steel, Temp. controlled
Ageing: Stainless
Bottled: 4/21/2010
Bottles: vinocor Vinbro1 flint, antique green 750 mL cork finish
Corks: synthetic - nomacorc premium
Cases: 872