This month’s column is presented as my contribution to Regional Wine Week. A project of Jeff Siegel, wine columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and Dave McIntyre, wine columnist for the Washington Post, the goal is to focus attention on local wineries. With every state now having a winery (Colorado is nearing 70) and quality improving steadily, this a good time to discover (or rediscover) our local wineries. To learn more, check out www.drinklocalwine.com during the week of October 6.
Canon City, Colorado is one of the last places I would have expected to find a winery, let alone a really good one. But that just shows my own ignorance. Being from Denver, I pretty much only knew Canon City as the home of state and federal prisons and the gateway to the Royal Gorge (the world’s highest suspension bridge). But there it is about three miles east of town, The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey. Given the Catholic Church’s long history with viticulture, it shouldn’t be too surprising to find a winery here. Plus, the Canon City area has a log farming tradition, reaching back to the late 1800s that developed on the heels of the nearby mining boom. Benedictine monks built the Holy Cross Abbey in the early 1920s on orchard land. The Abbey was the base for the order and it’s education programs and, of course, the monks made wine.
But times change. Eventually, the winemaking stopped and in 1985, the Abbey school closed. Still, some of the fathers dreamt of resurrecting the Abbey’s winemaking tradition. They hired Matt Cookson in 2000 to consult in the planting of a vineyard on the property. Matt had been a winemaker in New York and in California (where he worked for St. Francis, Keenan and Rombauer) and had been coming to Colorado to consult with wineries on the Western Slope. The fathers realized an opportunity when they saw it and asked Matt and his wife Sally to help them build and operate a winery and tasting room. The couple already had developed an attraction to the area and decided to make the move from California. Over the following five years, the Cooksons built a successful operation. Then, in 2006, the Abbey closed and the Winery’s future suddenly was in doubt. But the timing of the closure was fortuitous. The fathers were able to sell the winery to Larry Oddo, a New York City accountant who had just moved to Canon City the year before with his family looking for a change in lifestyle.
The Cooksons became partners with Oddo in 2007. And with this partnership, The Winery has continued the success that began in 2002, when the winery produced 3000 cases. This year, they produced nearly 13,000 cases, which Matt says may be more than any other Colorado winery. As Matt continues to win awards for his wines, Sally has led the sales and marketing. This has included organizing special events such as hosting fundraisers, a bike ride, an art and music weekend, and the annual Harvest Fest. Sally also has grown the tasting room/gift shop into a bona fide tourist attraction. Housed in a charming cottage, walk through the doors and you might think you are at an intimate family owned winery in California. Within this welcoming environment, you will find bottles of wine, of course; art and crafts from Colorado and around the world; cooking, wine and travel books; and a variety of food- and wine-related accessories.
Tasting of most wines is complimentary, although the Reserves cost $1. There also is a comforting tree-lined park where you can sip wine or eat while enjoying views of the nearby vineyard, the Abbey and the Rocky Mountains. All of this success hinges on the quality of the wines and here there is no doubt. I have tasted many of Matt’s wines over the last few years and continue to be impressed, as I was at the winemaker dinner on the Friday night before this year’s Harvest Fest. As committed as Matt is to Colorado and Colorado grapes (with most grown on Colorado’s Western Slope), he is not afraid to go out of state, if necessary, to get the best fruit. At the dinner, several of the wines were sourced from California and Washington.
We tasted an American Riesling ($14), which Matt considers his flagship. Good acidity lifts peach and apple flavors. And most of the grapes are from Washington. We followed with a crisp, fruitful 2007 Sauvignon Blanc Reserve ($25) made with grapes from Lodi and a succulent 2007 Chardonnay ($19), whose tropical fruit came courtesy of Monterey. Colorado, though, was well represented by the full, rich 2006 Merlot Reserve ($26), the oaky, curranty 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve ($26), and the soft, tangy 2006 Cabernet Franc ($22). The meal was brought to a fine completion with the Port-style 2004 Colorado Merlot “Divinity” ($25). The Winery also uses Colorado grapes for its regular release Sauvignon Blanc, ($16) Cabernet Sauvignon ($20), Merlot ($20) and Syrah ($21). The Winery also produces several fun (read mostly sweet) wines: Apple Blossom (from locally grown apples, $12), Vineyard Sunset (White Merlot/White Zinfandel. $11), Colorado Nouveau (whole berry fermented Merlot, $14), and Wild Canon Harvest (a light red wine made from around 21 varieties, $11).
Ultimately, what is equally impressive to me is how the Winery and Matt, Sally and Larry have become an integral part of the local community. From the hosting of special events and fundraisers to using artwork from local artists Edward Adamic, and Paula Fasken on labels. From hiring area native, Jeff Stolz ,as assistant winemaker to using apples from nearby Colon Orchards and Juniper Valley Farms for the Apple Blossom. And, in what is surely the most populist wine I know of, the Wild Canon Harvest is made from grapes grown by upwards of 100 local growers. It seems to me this is the essence of Regional Wine Week and of what it means to be a local winery.
THE DETAILS: The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey, 3011 E. Highway 50, Canon City, CO 81212; (719) 276-5191, toll free 877-422-9463; www.abbeywinery.com. The winery is about two hours south of Denver, 45 minutes south of Colorado Springs and 40 minutes west of Pueblo. The tasting room/gift shop is open Monday-Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 11-5.