2019 Aridus Tempranillo – A Quick Visit to Spain via Arizona!
The Winery
Recently I published two other stories on the Aridus Wine Company in Willcox, Arizona. Scott and Joan Dahmer founded the winery in 2012. Willcox is located about 85 miles east of Tucson and makes some remarkable estate wines! Click on the links for more details on the winery:
https://californiawinesandwineries.com/2023/05/24/2020-aridus-viognier-a-summertime-refreshing-wine/
The Wine “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
One of my personal favorite wines is the Spanish varietal Tempranillo. The name comes from the Spanish word temprano, which means “early” as it ripens earlier than other grapes in Spain. If you have visited any town in Spain, Tempranillo is available as ubiquitously as Starbucks coffee shops here in the USA. Today, 80% of the world’s Tempranillo is grown in Spain, and is most common in the Rioja, Navarra, Douro, and Ribera del Duero regions.
This wine is a varietal blend with 86% Tempranillo and 14% Graciano. The wine is aged in a mix of neutral and second-fill American and French oak barrels for 28 months. On the eyes this wine is a brilliant purple and ruby color with medium to medium-heavy viscosity. On the nose, it starts out fresh, lively and with vibrant black/red berry fruits. On the palate, cherry, dried fig and vanilla pipe tobacco greet the mouth. The tannins are mildly strong and the acidity is medium which cuts through both red meats and red tomato sauces. The finish provides some earthiness (dust), aged leather, oak and tartness which counterbalances the fruit exquisitely. The alcohol level is 14.3% and 308 cases were produced. Their website shows it selling for $50/bottle.
The Food and Wine Pairing “Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost. United and well matched, they are as body and soul: living partners” – Andre Simon
Our Friday Night Wine & Dine group met at Verona18 to enjoy a meal together as many have been traveling or out of town. Pulled this wine out to have with the spaghetti Bolognese but two specials caught my attention.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
The first being a featured appetizer of Mexican Style Ceviche with marinated Petrale sole, scallops, marinated shrimp, cucumber, tomato, lemon-lime juice, avocado and served with tortilla chips. While perhaps not the best coordination with the wine, the main dish was indeed a good fit.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
That was a pepperoni pizza cooked in their outdoor fire roasted pizza oven. The red sauce and pepperoni were a perfect match for the wine. Again Executive Chef Jaime Alderete has perfected the sauce for his oven roasted pizzas!
This now makes four varietals of Aridus Wine Company that I can wholeheartedly recommend: 2019 Tempranillo Limited Release, 2016 Cabernet Franc Barrel Select, 2020 Viognier and 2019 Syrah.
Sláinte,
Michael