After a long drive across the US, it was time to settle down for a day in one place. We chose Deming, New Mexico since it only left a few hundred miles on our trip.On our way to check in at the hotel in Deming, NM, we saw a sign advertising St. Clair Winery. Who doesn't love a winery? We sure do. We knew right then we were leaving NM a little later the next day than anticipated. With the St. Clair Winery only 3 miles from I-10, why not make the small detour and check it out?
During the short drive to St. Clair Winery, it is easy to think you might be on the wrong road. The area is mostly desert and open. Down the road a little further and you will find the oasis that is St. Clair Winery.
Situated at the end of a small road lined with trees and bushes we found parking for the St. Clair Winery. Although the area is mainly warehousing for the wines they produce, the "visitor center" with retail space and tasting bar make you forget about all of the mechanical processes taking place in the warehouse. Once you enter, you are transported mentally to a place where you feel like you are in your own personal wine cellar and bar.
The store offered a wide variety of wines branded under three different names. There were the least expensive brand of Blue Teal wines, the mid-range St. Clair Winery varieties, and the more expensive D.H. Lescombes wines (named after the winery and vineyard owner). The D.H. Lescombes varieties included a "limited" brand that offered a more refined and mature wine.
Not listed, but available, was a "left over" wine you could purchase extremely cheap. The bartender we spoke with informed us this was more or less the left over fermented juices the winery simply didn't have a use for. We didn't sample this as we were interested in chasing some of the more refined wines giving us a good tasting experience and allowing us to truly understand the winery and what they were working with.
St. Clair Winery offers a free taste of two wines or a "flight" of 6 tastes for around $6. We elected to try a couple of wines and split a flight. We tried the following wines, listed by our favorites first -
- Lime-a-Rita $10 - Tasted like a margarita! We thought this would be delicious with a nice Mexican dish on a warm summer night.
- Hatch Green Chili Wine $10 - Delicious! Tasted like green chilies without all of the heat. Not something we would drink every night, but it is a must try! We bought two bottles to share with friends once we have a house warming party in our new place.
- Vignoble Charmant "V" Merlot $10 - Awesome! Billed as a sweet Merlot, this was less sweet than most "sweet Merlots" we have tried before, which was great. We do not like super sweet reds, so it was refreshing to find one without all of the sweetness.
- D.H. Lescombes Syrah $18 - A great find! One of the best Syrahs I have ever tasted. This was on the "wine of the month" list bringing the price down to $16 this month. We were pleasantly surprised to find that out since we already had our hearts set on buying a couple of bottles.
- D.H. Lescombes Limited Mourvede $24 - We did not even know Mourvede was a varietal until we tried this. Absolutely delicious! However, a bit out of our price range.
- Others. We tried about four other wines. I failed to take notes on these other wines, so I will not leave comments about those. I can tell you that usually means I didn't find anything remarkable about them, neither good nor bad. They were likely comparably priced with similar flavors to wines I tasted in the past.
Having visited several wineries along the east coast, including the older and more refined wineries of Virginia, we were apprehensive at first about trying the younger wines of the southwest. We were pleasantly surprised to find some absolutely delicious wines at St. Clair Winery. Couple that with their 10% discount on the purchase of 6 or more wines and we had a great experience at this little gem.
Check out some pictures of the St. Clair Winery property and tasting room by visiting Yelp.com or Click Here!
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