The rain was just
beginning to turn to slush in the air when we pulled into the parking lot. As we walked into the open,
airy tasting room and saw the tasting bar, we quickly forgot about
the chill outside. Grandson Mason
Balistreri was our tasting guide to lead us through EIGHTEEN wines—three
whites, four desserts, and eleven reds.
All of these tastes were at no cost; the Balistreris just want everyone
to experience their wines.
Missing one would miss part of what the winery is all about.
We started sipping on the
whites, which were some of the most unique wines I have ever tasted. Balistreri uses only the natural yeast from
the grapes and does no filtering or fining, so the color of these whites was
deep and golden. Both the Chardonnay and
the Riesling were nothing that one would expect from the typical wines made
from these grapes. The Viognier, the
third white, goes through Lees treatment, making it unique as well. All of these wines were made from Colorado-grown grapes from
the western part of the state.
After a quick snack of
the crackers and cheese available in the tasting room for all who come to
visit, we started swirling the reds in our glasses. Some of the reds were made from California
grapes—a Zinfandel, a Merlot, and a Cabernet; however, my favorites were the
wines made from Colorado-grown fruit with Balistreri’s unique production
techniques! I loved the Colorado Little
Feet Merlot. The wine was a very smooth
Merlot with oak and berries, but honestly, I also loved the premise of the name
of this wine. This Merlot was stomped by
the “little feet” of children who attended the Festival Italiano that vintage
year (for this wine 2011). This was one of the most unique and memorable
labeling and production ideas ever.
I wish my children would have been able to stomp some grapes when their
feet were still little!
My next memorable red was
also Mason Balestreri’s favorite red wine, the 2011 Colorado Syrah. This had a great peppery scent, yet was
filled with a big berry taste. Finally,
I greatly enjoyed the 2010 Colorado Cabernet Sauvignon, grown from Whitewater
Hill Vineyard. Wet leather smells with
the berry flavors were all balanced with a long, pleasant finish. My Cab-drinking husband will love this wine
when we open the bottle I purchased!
We had tasted at
Balistreri for almost two hours, but we still were not done--we had dessert
wines to sip. There was a traditional
style Ruby port, a late-harvest Zinfandel, and even a Colorado cherry wine, but
my choice was the late-harvest Merlot from Colorado grapes. Yes, this was a very sweet wine, but it was not
too sweet, kind of like the Goldilocks of dessert wines.
At this point, my tasting
partners and I had worked up quite an appetite, so we stayed to enjoy the
bistro at Balistreri. The menu was
filled with delightful soups, salads, sandwiches, breads, and cheeses. I had the squash soup (since it was a chilly
day) and the grilled pear salad. My
partners both had the chicken sandwich and raved about the sun-dried tomato
mayo.
Finally, we were ready to
head to the next winery on our tour of Denver, knowing that the experience at
Balistreri would be hard to top.
Before we left, I had a
conversation with the winemaker, John Balistreri. At first, he was not impressed with my
sommelier title. I was a bit taken
aback, since most of the time when I mention this, wineries are
pleased. However, after Mr. Balistreri
explained why, I understood his viewpoint.
He commiserated with me about the fact that some of the most formal
members and sommeliers of the wine community in Colorado do not support local
Colorado wine, instead opting to give awards to wines from other areas and
producers. This backwards home-town
loyalty is proven when Colorado wines win awards at other wine competitions,
but not at the one hosted in the state.
I can attest to the quality of the wines Colorado winemakers are
producing, helping me to see John’s side of the story.
As I walked back into the
cold from the well-designed tasting room facility, I vowed to come back in
less inclement weather so I could enjoy the outdoor seating areas the winery
boasts. I also vowed to spread the word
of Colorado wines and hoped to break Mr. Balistreri’s idea of formally trained
sommeliers. I love locally owned, grown,
and produced products. As a wine
industry, we must not be such wine snobs that we miss the wines that are
literally right under our noses. So, my neighbors to the south,
keep up the good work. I will be
back!
