This is the sixth vintage bottling of our 100% estate grown Syrah from Keeling Schaefer.

We have 9 acres of Syrah in our two vineyards, planted on three French (174, 383, 877) clones in 2004 at our Home Place Vineyard and one Davis clone (174), planted on the Rock Creek Vineyard in 2007. These four blocks of Syrah at 5,000 feet above sea level, in the Western foothills of the Chiricahua Mountains in far SE Arizona, have consistently produced the highest rated wines from Arizona by Wine Spectator magazine.

The Three Sisters is a reference to the original 3 French clones on the Home Place. The 2010 vintage is a blend of fruit from both vineyards, and represents the characteristically ripe and big style of prior vintages. With a great nose and loaded with complex fruit and a fully weighted mouthfeel, you will quickly discover why the senior editors at Wine Spectator (2007 and 2009-89pts) and the wine writers at the Wall Street Journal (2006-winner of the Presidential Taste-Off) have identified Three Sisters as the best from Arizona.

Aged 1 year in neutral and 20% new American (Missouri) oak barrels, bottled November 2011. Selected fruit from our Home Place and Rock Creek Vineyards, 100% Syrah. Huge nose. Complex, ripe, fruit-forward, full-in-the-mouth. Loaded with Blackberry Fig, spice with mesquite and and sage notes.

Sales Points: Authentic-Grown, made and bottled by Rod Keeling and Jan Schaefer. 100% Arizona Grown estate fruit. History of Prior Vintages- Five, highly rated and successful vintages. Arguably, the best selling, most consistant, 100% varietal Arizona wine ever produced.

-winemaker’s notes

This is the fourth vintage bottling of this Grenache from Keeling Schaefer.

An Arizona expression of the great Genache/ Granacha tradition of the Rhone Valley, Spain and South Australia wine areas. We grow 6 acres of Grenache on our 2 vineyards at 5,000 feet above sea-level in the foothills of the Chiricahua Mountains of far SE Arizona. Two Reds is bulked-up a bit with naturally ripe fruit and 4% Syrah.

Very similar to our 2007 “Two Reds”, which was scored 86 points by Wine Spectator magazine, the 2009 vintage is a light bodied red wine that makes a flavorful and welcome alternative to Pinot Noir. Very food friendly and great with spicy dishes. Tons of strawberry, watermelon and prickly pear, elegant in the mouth and a long and spicy finish.

Aged 1 year in neutral and new French oak barrels, bottled December, 2010. 96% Grenache, selected from our Rock Creek and Home Place Vineyards, blended with 4% 877 clone Syrah from our Home Place Vineyard.

Sales Points: Authentic-Grown made and bottled by Rod Keeling and Jan Schaefer, 100% Arizona Grown estate fruit. Unique-Only widely distributed Arizona grown Grenache varietal. Value Priced, Continuity-Three successful prior vintages, 2007 rated 86 by Wine Spectator, great sales record.

-winemaker’s notes

This is the first bottling of a primarily Mourvedre blend from Keeling Schaefer.
We talk about making wine that the vineyard gives us, and this is a great example of that philosophy. The 2009 Mourvedre crop was harvested on October 21 of 2009, a very late date in Arizona. In spite of the late date, the fruit was not as completely ripe as we would have liked to make the Keeling Schaefer style of big, rich and fruit forward wine.
Mourvedre has a characteristic that fruit that is not completely ripe tends to express excessive tannins. This is why we cellared the wine for two and a half years to allow the tannins to soften in the barrel. The reward for our patience was a lighter wine of finesse, complexity and lower alcohol that is a departure from our style, but still maintains a great varietal nose and fruit forward flavors on the palate. I think most will appreciate the soft mouthfeel with bright acidity on the finish.
Aged 2.5 years in neutral and new French oak barrels, bottled January 20, 2012. Selected from our Rock Creek Vineyard, blended with 362 clone Grenache from the same vineyard and Syrah from the 174 clone block at our Home Place Vineyard. Complex, elegant, fruit-forward, loaded with Cherry, Raspberry and sage notes.

Sales Points: Authentic-Grown made and bottled by Rod Keeling and Jan Schaefer, 100% Arizona Grown estate fruit. Unique-Rare if not first widely distributed Arizona grown Mourvedre blend. Value Priced, Food Friendly-Excellent for on premise sales by-the-glass.

-winemaker’s notes

This is the third bottling of this primarily Grenache blend from Keeling Schaefer.
An Arizona expression of the great Genache-Syrah-Mourvedre blending tradition of the Rhone Valley wine areas of southern France. This GSM is bulked-up a bit with ripe fruit and a dash of Petite Sirah. I would probably compare it closer to a Barossa Valley GSM than it’s French counterparts.
Very similar to our 2008 “Partners”, the 2010 version retains the backbone of our successful Syrah and Grenache. With the addition of the Mourvedre and Petite Sirah, from our Rock Creek vineyard just down the road from the Home Place, “Partners” expresses the earthiness that these blends typically exhibit. Tons of cherry, multi-berry fruit and fig, full and complete in the mouth and a long and spicy finish.
Aged 1.5 years in neutral and new American oak barrels, bottled January 23, 2012. Grenache, Mourvedre and Petitte Sirah selected from our Rock Creek Vineyard, blended with 877 clone Syrah from our Home Place Vineyard.

Sales Points: Authentic-Grown made and bottled by Rod Keeling and Jan Schaefer, 100% Arizona Grown estate fruit. Unique-Rare if not first widely distributed Arizona grown GSM blend. Value Priced, Continuity-Two successful prior vintages, rated 88 and 84 by Wine Spectator, with great sales record.

-winemaker’s notes

This is the reserve bottling of the great 2007 Syrah vintage. Aged 3 years in new French oak barrels, one year in the bottle. Selected from our best Home Place 174 clone block, this elevates this elegant wine to the best we have to offer. We think that the high altitude UV rays light-up the fruit with intense flavors and the berries need as much exposure to this sunlight to get the full expression of our vineyard here in the Chiricahua Foothills. 100% 174 clone Syrah, grown in front of the winery building on the Home Place Vineyard in Block #3, Rows 13-24.
Rich, ripe, fruit-forward, loaded with blackberry, sage and deep fig notes. This big boy should last a long time in the cellar, if you are so inclined.

-winemaker’s notes

2008 was a very active monsoon summer. In spite of the rain, there was plenty of sun to provide good conditions for a small harvest in early October. We allowed the fruit to ripen this year to 26+ brix. Very ripe, dense and lush in the mouth, our Home Place Reserve was selected primarily from our 174 clone block, located directly in front of the winery.

-winemaker’s notes