Wine Sediments

Gruet Winery. If you drink much wine, particularly the stuff loaded with tiny bubbles, you’ve probably heard of them. They are well known for their delicious line of sparkling wines and it’s clearly their speciality. They make no less than eight different bubblies.

You could say that methode champenoise is in the Gruet family’s blood.

In 1983, while traveling in New Mexico, the Gruet family met a group of European winemakers who had successfully planted vineyards in the area. The land was inexpensive too, so a year later Gilbert Gruet, whose Champagne house, Gruet et Fils had produced fine Champagne in Bethon, France since 1952, planted an experimental vineyard with pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. Not long thereafter, his children, winemaker Laurent and daughter Nathalie, and family friend Farid Himeur then relocated to the great state of New Mexico to begin their American wine making adventure.

At 4300 ft. Gruet’s vineyards are some of the highest in the United States, so regardless of how hot the days might be, the temperature at night can drop as much as thirty degrees, cooling the fruit and slowing down the maturation process on an otherwise short growing season. Sandy and loamy soil, and a lack of humidity that might contribute to rot, offer consistent fruit year regardless of vintage and allow them to avoid the use of pesticides.

But enough about history and growing conditions…let’s talk about the wine, shall we?

Rather than pile on the Gruet bubbly bandwagon, I decided to take a look at their still wines. Yes, they make still wines too.

It should come as no surprise that most of their non-sparklers are made with chardonnay and pinot noir — they are the grapes most used in fine sparkling wine after all.

The Gruet 2005 Chardonnay ($13)is a tasty, if simple, chardonnay for those in barrel fermented camp. While barrel fermented, the nose is fresh with red delicious apple and faint citrus aromas accented by toasty, spicy oak. A similar profile is found on a medium-bodied palate. I found this wine a little lacking in the acidity department, but judicious oak influence keep it from being flabby. The finish is medium long with roasted apple and spice.

A step up, both in price and flavor intensity is Gruet’s 2005 Barrel Select Chardonnay ($20). Pears, citrus and both roasted nuts and minerals greet the nose and while the flavors aren’t drastically different from the $13 bottle, there is more oak apparent, which comes through as vanilla and a smoky edge.

I find that barrel fermented chardonnay is almost always “tight” in its youth, so I’m willing to bet that these wines will be dramatically different in a year or two.

Moving on to the reds, I tasted two pinot noirs and a syrah. As with my virtual tasting trip to neighboring Arizona, it was these reds that impressed me.

Gruet 2004 Pinot Noir Cuvee Gilbert Gruet ($24) is medium-light ruby in the glass and offers somewhat intense raspberries, red plums and cherries on a fresh, fruity and youthful nose. From the first sip, there is plenty of varietal character here…silky mouthfeel, cherry/berry flavors and a little acidity. A very nice wine.

Gruet makes a “reserve” pinot as well, but only 552 bottles. That’s bottles, not cases. Gruet’s 2004 Barrel Select Pinot Noir ($45) is a bit darker and slightly cloudy (it’s unfiltered). The cork on the bottle they sent me had leaked a bit, but the nose still had intense, rich raspberry and cherry aromas with an alluring eucalyptus/anise/herbal nuance that really drew me in. Silky and soft, the berries come through on the palate as well and are joined by a little earthiness. The acidity seems a bit lower here, but the finish is impressively long. I was surprised at how well this wine showed because the cork had leaked quite a bit.

Last, I tasted Gruet’s 2004 Syrah ($13). By comparison, the wine is quite dark, but for syrah it’s pretty typical. The nose is fruity, but not jammy, with black currants dominating with subtle black pepper and black licorice accents. Medium bodied, this wine is all black fruit and pepper, with just a little dark chocolate thrown in. A simple, gulpable syrah that, frankly, beats the pants off of similarly priced bottlings from down under.

Join me next week, when I leave the hot southwestern U.S. for a while and head north…way north.