Vineyards

2009 was an important year in the history of our winery: it marks the point at which more of our wines were produced from our Estate vineyards than from those in California. With the purchase of Dos Cabezas Vineyards in Kansas Settlement, Arizona and the development of our second brand, Arizona Stronghold Vineyards, we are now able to cull the best batches for Page Springs. Only the best examples of Arizona grapes will earn PSC bottling. Additionally, we also picked nearly seven tons of Syrah and Petite Sirah from the vineyard next to the winery. We will continue to work with some of our favorite vineyards in California, but will be cutting back on the total number of vineyards we source from as well as the total volume of Grapes. Check the links below to see who we’ll be working with.

Estate Vineyard

Page Springs, Arizona

Our Estate vineyard was planted in the Spring of 2004, seven years after our winemaker, Eric Glomski, first fell in love with this site. Glomski and his family purchased the land in late 2003 when it finally came up for sale.

Nestled along the banks of Sedona’s famous Oak Creek and on the lower flanks of House Mountain volcano, this site is truly unique. Sandy, clay-loam overlays a matrix of basaltic clasts (chunks of extruded volcanic rock) that are cemented by calcareous (chalky, alkaline – limestone-like) sediments derived from a larger geologic structure called the Verde formation. The “subsoils” here are alkaline (much like the limestone of the Southern Rhone and Burgundy). These soils will contribute character to our grapes and their alkalinity tempers the vigor of our aggressive Rhone varietals.

We have planted the following varietals at this site:

  • Syrah clone 383 from Hermitage, France on the rootstock 1103P
  • Mourvedre 369 from Chateneauf du Pape on rootstock 110R
  • Grenache 362 from Chateneauf du Pape on rootstock 110R
  • Petite Sirah – Shell Creek Clone on rootstock 110R and 1103P
  • Cabernet Pfeffer on it’s own roots

Within the next six months, we will be planting our next vineyard site with the following:

  • Roussane
  • Viognier
  • Marsanne
  • Petite Verdot

Generally speaking, we have a Mediterranean climate here in Page Springs. The bulk of our rain comes in the winter. Summers are generally hot and dry. Although summer temperatures can reach the high nineties (and in certain years they can pass one hundred), our summers highs are generally in the low nineties. Luckily, we also have up to a 40 degree fluctuation from day to night, which is critical for the development of flavors and other grape components that are critical to making fine wine.

We also farm our grapes without the use of petro-chemicals. Our fertility program centers on encouraging and sustaining a healthy and productive soil ecosystem. We use cover crops and animal manures and stay away from industrial, “chemical’ insecticides and herbicides. In addition to our commitment to our land, we feel this approach produces cleaner, healthier and tastier grapes.