Buy Wines Online from Pillsbury Winery. The Pillsbury Wine Company is the evolution of a Dream-Come-True project by New Zealand by Film Director and Winemaker Sam Pillsbury.
Sam flew into Arizona to shoot a pilot for Universal Pictures and fell in love with an Arizona girl and the Arizona landscape at the same time.
Growing up in New Zealand Sam witnessed the phenomenon of growing classical wine grapes in unusual places. Then on a camping trip in Arizona thought he could try the same thing here.
The location he picked was a high-altitude desert valley in Cochise County, 200 miles SE of Phoenix. This all came from a desire to get away from mass-produced ‘McDonalds’ wines and create a distinctive regional Boutique wine that was 100% Arizona and 100% original. He gambled that the high-altitude, endless sunshine, sandy loam and dry desert would make for a perfect Terroir, and in 2000 he planted 20 acres of Rhone varieties. It worked.
In the less than two years since he released his first wines under the Pillsbury label the wines got a 93 from Mark Tarbell in the AZ Republic, a 'Best AZ Wine’ from the San Francisco Examiner, a rave from trendy Eateraz.com blog stating that these are the first wines from Arizona that we can say have a truly incredible taste, ‘Best Local Winemaker’ from Phoenix Magazine, and a Gold Medal at the 2009 AWGA Festival for the 2007 Diva.
James Molesworth of the Wine Spectator called him one of the ‘Rising Stars of the Southwest’ and rated the 2007 Roan Red and 2007 Diva an 88. He gave the 2007 Pillsbury Petite Sirah 89, the highest score for an AZ wine from this publication.
Pillsbury Wine Company Wines - Roan Red | Case of 6
A Rhone-style Blend
68% Grenache, 16% Syrah, 14% Mourvedre, 2% Petit Sirah
ALC 14.9% By Volume
This medium-bodied dry wine is made from hand-picked single vineyard grapes we planted in a high desert valley, and matured in neutral American Oak for 12 months. Delicate and fragrant, it has a nose of white flower and spice, a fresh, clean palate with red cherry, sandalwood, nutmeg and cinnamon, finishing with soft tannins and a hint of toasty oak.
. Best served with salmon or seabass, pasta, and casseroles.
Pillsbury Wine Company Diva | Case of 6 45% Mourvedre, 44% Petit Sirah, 11% Syrah
ALC 15.3% By Volume
This plumy, luscious wine was made from a single-vineyard vines we planted in a high altitude mountain valley in Cochise County, Arizona in the year 2000.
At 4300 feet our temperatures are moderated: we get snow in the winter, the nights are dramatically cool and the extra UV we get adds unique color, nose and flavor to our wines. These grapes were hand harvested and then fermented in small batches, aged in neutral American Oak and a modest amount of French Oak. This wine is made to be paired with food. We like it with robustly flavored chicken, pasta or roasted meats.
Pillsbury Wine Company Wines, Pinot Gris | Case of 6
This wine made from grapes at high altitude in Apache country was handpicked and whole bunch pressed, then fermented dry with inhibited malolactic fermentation, and aged for 6 months in neutral American Oak. Stirred on the lees to enhance the fruit, this wine is delicate and clean with hints of pear, apple and melon. This wine paired with seafood like scallops or sea bass.
Pillsbury Wine Company Wild Child Red | Case of 6
100% Arizona grown. A dry red from a neighboring wild vineyard we found dotted with crop circles; a field blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Zin and Cabernet, to which we added more Zin from neighbor Golden Rule vineyards. Red currant and cranberry on the nose with a hint of leather, finishes with fruity red-berry, orange peel, velvety with a smooth, rounded mouthfeel.
Pillsbury Wine Company Wild Child White | Case of 6
100% Arizona grown. An aromatic dry white wine from a neighboring wild vineyard we found dotted with crop circles; a field blend of Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc, Malvasia and Muscat to which we added more Malvasia, and Roussanne from neighbor Colibri vineyards. Super fragrant explosive nose of lychee, jasmine, honeysuckle and frangipani, with fresh pineapple, pear and lime in the mouth, finishing very fresh and clean.
