Alternatives to Chardonnay
Bodega Pierce Visit at Willcox AVA
This was the last stop on my three-day visit to the Willcox AVA district. While the last stop, it was the first one recommended by friends in Mesa to visit but timing worked out to be the last stop. Met with Dan and Barbara Pierce who are a fountain of knowledge regarding the Willcox bench, water issues and the history of the area.
The vineyard and tasting room in Willcox is at 4511 E Robb Road. Here on their property of 80 acres with 27 acres under vines at 4,200 feet elevation they produce 18 varietals. They include Syrah, Petite Sirah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Malvasia Bianca, Muscat of Alexandria, Zinfandel and Graciano. While knowing of their Cabernet Franc, which they have entered the annual International Cabernet Franc Competition, I was taken back by their offerings of varieties.
Photo from Bodega Pierce
They purchased the property in 2011 that was an existing winery with vineyards planted in 2005. They did an extensive rejuvenation and expansion of the vineyard and opened the tasting room in 2014. Currently they are producing approximately 2500 cases a year.
Their other tasting room and the production winery is in Clarkdale, Arizona at 1341 W State Route 89 A, about halfway between Sedona and Prescott Valley. Dan and Barbara’s son, Michael is their winemaker. Michael studied winemaking at UC Davis and Washington State University. Michael has a distinguished pedigree starting out head winemaker at Stronghold Vineyard (2010-2014), Director of Enology (2014-2018) & Director of Viticulture & Enology (2018-2025) at Yavapai College and now is at Yavapai College, University of Arizona adjunct faculty working on a variety of activities regarding commercial horticulture. His background is very extensive as well as being the head winemaker of Bodegas Pierce. His work was acknowledged by Wine Business Monthly in 2020 as Bodega Pierce being named Hot Brands of the year.
Barbara is currently the immediate past president of the Arizona Wine Growers Association and still active in political water right discussions. Dan also is extremely involved in the water rights for Willcox AVA and provided some keen insights into the water perspective.
Willcox AVA Background
The Willcox AVA is the largest in Arizona and encompasses 833 square miles in southern Arizona.
Map from University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
The AVA length ranges from 40 to 45 miles, running north and south and the width averaging between 15 to 25 miles wide east to west. It is a large flat valley (or playa/bench) with an average elevation of most vineyards being 4,200 to almost 5,000 feet elevations. The Willcox Playa is sitting between the Dragoon Mountains to the west reaching 7,500 feet and the Chiricahua with the highest point 8,000 feet and Dos Cabezas Mountains 7,500 feet to the east. The highest mountain peak is in the northeast at 8,100 feet. With the high mountains surrounding the high valley floor, the diurnal temperature swings (daytime to nighttime) can average between 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit. This cooling down feature from the mountain air sinking to the basin, is a hallmark in preserving acidity in the grapes.
The land is a combination of sandy-gravelly, alluvial and volcanic loam soils which are ideal for vineyard sustainability. The Willcox AVA was designated in September 2016. Many indigenous people occupied the land like the Chiricahua Apache’s including the well-known leaders Cochise and Geronimo.
The conversation started out like a few previous ones with other wineries discussing the AMA (Active Management Area) that was designated by the Arizona Department of Water Resources to preserve groundwater supplies, address land subsidence and stop earth fissures caused by over-extraction. The issue for Willcox AVA, that being registering for well water rights as to obtain water, everyone must drill wells to a depth of 420 feet. There is conflict with the valley ranchers who reportedly have an estimated one million to one million and a half head of cattle consuming an extraordinary amount of water. The cattle ranches are “gobbling” up land to increase their ranches and herds. Grape growers in the AVA use a fraction of the water but are strictly regulated. The irrigation freeze (with some wineries grandfathered) prohibits entirely new acreage being planted. Landowners can only irrigate acres there were legally watered between 2019 and 2024. The crux of the issue is that lactating cows consume 25-35 gallons of water per day, beef cows 6-15 gallons per day and bulls require 10-15 gallons per day year-round. Vineyards in the heat of the summer require 5-8 gallons and with a drip system can get by with only 2 gallons a day, being watered 2-3 times a week. With vineyards being dormant in the winter there is a large disparity in consumption with the wineries being shortchanged in this archaic and uneven handed mandated ruling by the government.
Bodega Pierce Wine Tasting
Being caught up in the rich and presently dynamic history of the AVA, we ran out of time to really do any extensive tasting of their wines. I asked Dan and Barbara to pick out three of their favorites as time was running short and only got one picture of three tasted.
The first wine tasted was the 2025 Chardonnay that was surprisingly intriguing and delicious. I had tried a few this visit, but this was distinct and of high quality. I asked Dan what clone they used and he later got back to me stating that their Chardonnay block had clones 04, 76 and 95 planted. I didn’t get the percentage of each clone, but the quality was similar to many Chardonnay’s in California. Clone 4, known as the Wente clone, represents about 80% of the Chardonnay vineyards in California. Upon tasting the wine, all the key characteristics were spot on for the visual, aroma, taste and finish. It received all high marks and rated highly.
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Dan was especially fond of this 2024 wine which is not a common varietal. The first thing noticed upon the pour was the extremely powerful aromatics from the glass of floral and tropical fruits. This was light to medium viscosity with clarity in the vessel. A great summertime wine with light fruit, salads and light seafood. This grape varietal also goes by the names of Muscat d’ Alexandrie or Gordo Blanco. Again this made all positive marks across the board and rated very high.
The 2023 vintage was selected for tasting. And once again made all high marks for key characteristics and rated very high on my scoring.
Because of the engaging and thoughtful conversation of the visit, wine tasting actually took a back seat. Tasting never should have been secondary but we were caught up in the discussion beyond just their winery including the entire AVA, the industry, the International Cab Franc Competition, judging and many other topics. A return trip is in order and most likely be at their Clarkdale facility.
I would highly recommend stopping at the Willcox AVA tasting room and meeting two knowledgeable wine folks with a passion for not only their wines, but Arizona wines in general. And please allow enough time to enjoy their wines!
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly
https://californiawinesandwineries.com
2021 Trimbach Pinot Blanc – Versatile and Often Overlooked Varietal
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Background
Being out of town this week with temperatures in the triple digit teens, white wine was definitely high on the priority list. Picked up a bottle 2021 Trimbach Pinot Blanc to go with a dinner (more below).
History of Pinot Blanc
What is Pinot Blanc? The history of this grape is a bit tangled with mystery and misunderstanding. This white wine grape is essentially a mutation but sharing mostly the same DNA with Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Pinot Blanc has wide ranging descriptors: high in acidity, low in acidity, mix of fresh fruits, aromas (apple, citrus), pear, a little buttery, a bit creamy, hint of spiciness, dry, floral characteristics, honey, sweet, possessing stone fruit aromas, heavier minerality, cabbage odor, etc.
Map from Wikimedia Commons
Alsace fronts the Rhine River in eastern France, and borders the countries of Germany and Switzerland.
Where is it grown? The main areas for this variety are Alsace (northeast France), the Alto Adige region in Italy and neighboring areas of Alsace in Germany & Austria. Pinot Blanc is also taking a hold in Canada’s Okanagan Valley as one of their signature wines. Other areas include Hungary, Croatia, Spain, Washington, California and Oregon. In France it is permissible to blend this varietal with other grapes in some quantities.
What other names does this grape go by? Warning: the list is a minefield for possible mispronunciations: Austria (Weissburgunder or Klevner), Hungary (Feher Burgundi); Spain & Italy (Pinot Bianco), Czech Republic (Rulandske Bile), Slovakia (Rulandske Biele) and Argentina. In the Champagne region, Pinot Blanc is often called Blanc Vrai. In the United States, besides Pinot Blanc, it is often referred to as a white ABC (anything but Chardonnay) or a stepchild to Chardonnay. The truth of this varietal is very different!
The number of acres planted of Pinot Blanc are a bit of a mystery but estimated around 300 to 400 acres statewide in California. Upon previously tasting various Pinot Blanc’s, I was more than impressed with the aromas, flavors, textures and tastes of this varietal. What stood out was this wine was significantly different from France to California. Admittedly, I have not tasted this varietal in all the previous countries mentioned earlier. In France Pinot Blanc can actually add Auxerrois (from the town in Chablis region) but still labeled as Pinot Blanc. Auxerrois often has a “green vegetable quality” to it. When I first tasted it, I was so “un-impressed” by the taste. Turns out it often has a cabbage tinge. What are the differences between California and French Pinot Blanc? Apart from “terroir”, as mentioned the French often blend in Auxerrois and it has a distinct “green vegetable” on the palate. The Trimbach Pinot Blanc did not have this “cabbage tinge” and was a delicious wine.
The Wine – “Wine is bottled poetry” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Photo ©Michael Kelly
This wine was a delightful surprise from the prestigious winery Trimbach since 1626. First on the eyes, a light golden color with aromas of green apple with a skosh of soft citrus. On the palate while “light in color” it packed a remarkably crisp and refreshing punch. Typically this wine with its high acidity is perfectly matched with shellfish, fried calamari and also buttery sauces (see below on food pairing). A great alternative from your everyday Chardonnay. This wine had no “cabbage” or green vegetable influence just caressing floral notes and aromas.
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
Photo ©Michael Kelly
Paired this evening with a Swiss cheese chicken recipe. Pieces of chicken breasts cut in half, layered with Swiss cheese, cream of chicken soup, white wine, crumbled croutons, and topped with melted butter then baked for an hour. Accompanied by rice pilaf and steamed broccoli with white mushrooms. The buttery aspect of the meal was wonderfully aligned with this wine. A very good food and wine pairing.
While I am a big supporter of Chardonnay wines, I like mixing it up a little once in a while to discover new aspects of white wine. So it was with Trimbach Pinot Blanc.
Sláinte,
Michael Kelly