La Chiripada Winery

The color and translucence of this wine make it look quite lovely in the glass. If you didn’t stick your nose in it, you’d think it was Pinot Noir. Actually, it has quite a few Pinot-like aromas, including strawberries, cherries and pickled pepperoncini, plus sweet red peppers and pickled baby beets. There’s also a hint of red licorice and toasted corn cakes with grape jelly.

This medium-bodied wine comes from grapes grown in southern New Mexico, which sounds like it should be warm, but realistically, at over 4k feet elevation, it’s still grape growing on the edge of sanity. The blend is aged in Hungarian oak casks, which provide a spicy cinnamon and nutmeg note. Is that paprika I detect? No, more like mild red Hatch chile. In the mouthfeel department, this wine behaves like an Oregon Pinot, with ample acidity and a dollop of rhubarb. The cherry from the Sangiovese is bright and delightful, and winds nicely around the peppery Cab.

There is a Scotch-like peatiness to this wine that compliments the predominantly gooseberry and tart cherry pie flavours. Quite an interesting and really delicious wine: specifically designed for New Mexican cuisine – red chili dishes for sure. Make mine Christmas (red and green) pork chile or a toasty red chili posole.

Reviewed February 6, 2008 by Laura Ness.