Nevada - Pahrump - Pahrump Valley Winery

Pahrump Valley Winery - (May 2016)  I was interested in the vineyard tour so we decided to have lunch here and see how much more time we would kill before the tour. Joy, our server, stopped by to ask if we’d like a beverage and I said they would decide on some wine based on what they were choosing to eat. She explained that there were two additional wines not on the list, a pinot grigio and a sauvignon blanc and that we could have two tastings as part of our meal. We chose to get one taste each of the pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc; we liked the sauvignon blanc better.

Joy mentioned some of the specialties on the menu, the lobster bisque and the pasta dishes. We decided to share the baked brie appetizer. My wife got the apple pecan salad with grilled chicken and I the dilled salmon with spinach. The appetizer and both meals went well with the sauvignon blanc. We were presented the dessert menu and decided to do the banana caramel xango. It reminded us of a churro filled with banana and banana cheesecake; served with a scoop of ice cream, it was just right.

After lunch, we went to the tasting room and were able to try seven of the available wines. My wife chose from the left side – white, sweets and dessert wines, while I chose from the right - all red wines. I was especially interested in the Nevada wines, produced from grapes grown in the local area.

My wife started off with the viognier, which was slightly oaked; it was different and still enjoyable (for me). She then tried the Symphony, a blend of moscato, Grenache and pinot gris. This wine is one of their best sellers. She enjoyed it and compared it to a summer sipping wine. She tried the Sunset Rose, the vintner’s blend of several grapes to make the blush wine; its taste was similar to a jolly rancher (interesting). She followed this with the Desert Blush, another blended rose wine. She liked the Sunset Rose better. She finished her tasting with the three dessert wines. The Sweet Melody is a red wine infused with chocolate; it hits at the start and continues through to the flavor (I thought overpowering), the vinho doce, their port style wine fortified with brandy tasted like a Tootsie Roll, and the crème sherry had a nice caramel ending. She liked the crème sherry at the Sanders Family Winery better (another post).

I started my tasting with the syrah and petit syrah, from grapes grown in California. The petit syrah was the driest of the two and heavy on the tannin; notes of lavendar on the noses. I then moved to the Nevada wines. I started with the barbera, a dry, yet fruity wine with a hint of spice. Next was the primitivo, a red grape I had not had before; it too was dry but had a smooth finish. The zinfandel had hints of black raspberries. The Silver State Red, a blend of seven grape varieties – a very dry wine with heavy tannic structure, yet bold. I finished my tasting with the tempranillo, a very dry wine but flavorful.

We were in time for the tour. The tour guide took us into the vineyard and explained the history of the winery (started by the Sanders family) from its first plantings (some of the vines are over twenty years old) until present day. She explained how the winery is working with local grape growers to produce wine from within the state of Nevada. We walked back into the winery and looked at all the winning wines and were then treated to going into the wine cellar. Gretchen, the winemaker, was in the winery getting ready to filter one of the reds that she would like to bottle the next day. She had part of her operation already set up for the next day, most of which was done by hand. The tour guide took a picture of us with Gretchen.