rev:text
| - I recently had the pleasure of attending a wine tasting at the Lawrence Dunham Vineyards tasting room in Old Town Scottsdale. The wine tasting was hosted for a local wine lovers group (Cru Club AZ) and I will say that Curt and Peggy did a great job.
The location is great. West side of Old Town and walking distance to some very good food after you're done tasting (House Brasserie or Cornish Pasty, anyone?). They did an awesome job on the tasting room itself. Rustic chic, with a modern edge to it. The main room is open, bright, and can accommodate a decent crowd, but I liked the fact they have some adjoining rooms as well (some with local artwork). The place exudes understated class. We sat on their patio, which is cozy, but big enough to easily seat our group. Plus the table was made from old wine palates...Now that is what I call recycling!
OK, so how are the wines, right? I have found that AZ wines can be spotty; with some tasting awesome and others heading straight for the dump bucket. I haven't had a full flight of wine from any AZ wineries yet where I liked them all. I'm happy to report that the Lawrence Dunham wines are very legit. Granted, I have a soft spot for Rhone varietals (which is all they grow), but I won't give praise unless earned...and Curt and Peggy definitely earned it.
For $12 we tasted five wines, all of which were well made and very approachable. All the grapes are estate grown and sourced from their vineyards in Southern AZ. Two different viogniers, grenache, petite sirah, and a red blend. I gravitated towards the yellow label viognier as it was just drinking lovely, and had all the characteristics I look for in the varietal. My next favorite was the petite sirah. Big and inky (as it should be), but the tannins were not overpowering at all and it was very easy to sip and enjoy.
If you're a wine fan, you should stop by their tasting room next time you're in Old Town. Perfect spot to hit before date night. Plus, you can see that the future for Arizona winemakers is looking brighter and brighter...
Cheers!
-The East Valley Foodie
|