Page 35 - The Noise September 2016

AUTUMN 2016 REVIEW
BURNING TREE CELLARS:
2014 The dragon
S“My friends, it is wise to nourish the soul, otherwise you will breed dragons and devils in your heart.” — carl Jung
ometimes, you’re too old for fairy-tales; other times, you’re just not old
enough. In those times in between, there are obsessions that can eat away at you like the dragons in the legends of old; like windmills on a hillside. One of my latest obsessions has been a vineyard down in Southeastern Ari- zona, perched deep within the mountains like Smaug’s lair on Erebor. Known as the “Jewel of the Chricahuas,” colibri Vineyard is often spoken of in hushed whispers and murmurs.
One of the best introductions to the terroir of this vineyard is found at Burning Tree cellars in Old Town Cottonwood. The 2014 vintage known as The Dragon is a GSM (grenache, syrah, and mourvedre) blend which captures the terroir of this vineyard quite well (even though it’s not entirely made from Colibri grapes). Since these Rhone-style blends are common in Arizona wine- making, this wine allows for a comparison of terroir when imbibed alongside other vintages from elsewhere in the state.
The 2014 vintage of The Dragon is made from 100% Arizona grapes. Specifi- cally, the blend is 54% mourvedre, 34% syrah, and 12% grenache. The mourve- dre and grenache came from the fabled Colibri vineyard, while the syrah came from the Willcox Bench, specifically from carlson creek Vineyard. The wine was aged in 30% new French oak for 22 months. Some of these barrels were made by Meryiuex, one of the most famous cooperage houses in France. These add some extra complexity and a touch of smoky character to this vintage of The Dragon. The wine is a lovely sort of candy-crimson in the glass, akin to the color of resin from the Dragon’s Blood Tree, in fact. The wine was made by corey Turnbull.
The wine opens with intense fruit on the nose: bright cherry and strawberry, with hints of watermelon, cinnamon, woodsmoke, and plum. These inter- mingle with the classic Colibri white pepper notes which may come from the
reVieW & PhOTO by cOdy V. bUrKeTT
unique geology of that particular vineyard. After decanting, additional herba- ceous and floral notes of violets, sage, cloves, and rosemary emerge from the wine, as well as a scent that reminds me of a ponderosa pine forest in summer, just before a monsoon storm hits.
On the palate, notes of bright plum, along with watermelon, play with ad- ditional notes of cherry jolly rancher, latakia, vanilla, sage, and white pepper. After the wine has been decanted for an hour, notes of cloves and cinnamon also emerge on the palate, along with rosemary. There’s quite a bit of tan- nins here, and The Dragon has a juicy acidity. The finish of this wine is long, lasting for 2 minutes and 6 seconds, and contains notes of white pepper, rich vanilla, and sage.
If you don’t want to pair this wine with a night of playing Skyrim, or the classi- est Dungeons and Dragons game ever, I’d pair it with smoked elk ribs, or venison. Carne Asada tacos with green chilies would also work quite well. A soup or stew containing a combination of lentils, wild rice, and shitake mushrooms would cre- ate a complimentary vegetarian pairing for The Dragon.
I can confidently state that 2014’s vintage of The Dragon is a pretty kickass GSM that represents the unique terroir of Colibri Vineyard quite well. I’ve noticed that every wine I’ve encountered made with grapes from this legendary vine- yard has distinct notes of white pepper on the nose and palate; notes such as these set wines made with Colibri grapes apart from other Arizona vintages. It is one of those tell-tale terroir notes that wine geeks like myself find so intrigu- ing. I feel like The Dragon should cellar well for another 10 years at least. If this soul-nourishing vintage was a person, I feel it would be a psychologist with a penchant for playing role-playing games after long work days — probably play- ing a sorcerer. Burning Tree Cellars is open every day starting at high noon, so be sure to give them a visit next time you’re in Old Town Cottonwood.
35 • {www.thenoise.us} SEPTEMBER 2016 | THE BEST OF ARIZONA | the Nöísẽ