Finding a Balance with Quivira Wines

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One of the key benefits of writing about wine is discovering family wineries that you wouldn’t find on your own. I was sent sample bottles from Quivira Vineyards, and I happily discovered a family of great wines – all under $30 – that delivered great quality for the price.

 

 

Some of the top wineries in Dry Creek Valley

 

 

Quivira Vineyards is in Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma and is a leading producer of Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc and Rhône varieties, all farmed organically. Since 1998, Quivira Wine has been involved in making Sonoma better – from farming CCOF-certified organic vineyards to working to restoring Wine Creek, the stream on the winery property where Coho salmon and Steelhead trout spawn. A 140-year-old Fig Tree has been preserved as a landmark.

 

There have only been two family owners in 41 years. The winery was founded in 1981 by Holly and Henry Wendt who saw the long history and track record of the region. In 2006, Pete and Terri Kight purchased Quivira. Since then, they now own Torbreck Vintners Ltd. in Australia, Escarpment in New Zealand, and Tandem Wines.

 

The winery name comes from the Wendt’s collection of ancient maps. One of these maps from the 16th century shows mythical lands of Quivira, which is now known as Sonoma County.

 

A quite storied history – let’s talk about the wine. I was impressed with the quality of the wines – very similar to when I first tried Pedroncelli Wines. My question to both families is the price.  The Quality-Price-Ratio (or QPR as its commonly referred to) is extremely good. My good friend that I was tasting with immediately went to their website and and will be shipping once the weather breaks here.

 

 

The Line-up of Quivira Wines

 

We tried four wines:

 

 

Finding a Balance with Quivira Wines
Quivira Sauvignon Blanc

 

 

  • 2021 Quivira Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County, SRP $19 – Lemongrass, green apple, pear, and grapefruit. It is an easy drinking and crisp Sauvignon Blanc – perfect for patio weather.
  • 2021 Quivira Sauvignon Blanc, Fig Tree Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley, SRP $30 – last year’s vintage was on the Top 100 Wines of the World from the Wine Spectator (second year in a row a Quivira Sauvignon Blanc made this list). It was the perfect blend of minerality with grapefruit, fig lime, pear, apple, spice, and jasmine. It is a wine that perfectly expresses the terroir of Dry Creek Valley.
  • 2021 Quivira Rosé, Wine Creek Ranch, Dry Creek Valley, SRP $25 – A blend of 70 percent Grenache, 11 percent Counoise, 9 percent Mourvedre, 5 percent Petit Sirah and 5 percent Primitivo, this is a great rosé bursting with red fruit. I also tasted strawberry, watermelon, stone fruit and a little spice with a great minerality.
  • 2019 Quivira Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, SRP $28 – this was a great example of how Sonoma Zinfandel should taste. I tasted all of the berries – blackberry and raspberry — with spice notes.

 

Committed to sustainability, Quivira is clearly doing all the right things – for the land, for the critics and building a 40-plus year legacy in Dry Creek.

 

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