Guy Drew Vineyards

There is something special about Guy Drew and his vineyards in southwestern Colorado. Compared to other wine regions, Colorado’s wine industry is still a newborn. “…Yes, we have a long way to go. But we’re getting there…” Guy Drew said in an interview for the Ft. Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram. With his winery entering its eighth year winning medals at international wine competitions around the country, Guy is helping guide Colorado wines out of infancy.

Guy Drew bought grapes from Palisade growers for his first two vintages. “We decided to come out with our second label first, Crooked Creek, and use the Guy Drew Vineyards label for our reserve wines” he notes. His first releases under his own name totaled just 65 cases of a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon and a vintage port from the same year. Today, Guy has 20 acres planted with nine varieties, and is learning to work with the micro climates unique to his land.


Like the vineyards near Grand Junction and Palisade, where most of the Colorado wine industry is focused, Guy’s vineyards in southern Colorado experience late spring and early fall frosts. To compensate for the frost-shortened growing season, the Montezuma Valley provides a dry growing season with warm fall days followed by cool nights. This provides concentrated color in red grapes and good acidity in both red and white grapes. Guy comments that he still has a lot to learn about the various micro climates in the region, both as he plants more of his own grapes and helps newcomers determine which varieties will be best suited to their land. “We still have to take care to plant the correct varieties in the right place since the length of the growing season can vary….” Remarks Guy, “Our biggest challenge has been understanding these micro climates and what causes the adverse conditions, primarily spring frost.”


Independent growers’ have twenty acres near Guy’s winery that supplement his own vineyard production. Guy has contracted to have another 20 acres planted this spring. Three new growers are establishing vineyards in the area this spring. With vineyards in the area expanding, Guy hopes to raise his current production of 3,000+ cases annually up to near 6,000 cases year, toward a goal of 15,000 cases annually.


The wines Guy is producing have what the French refer to as “terroir” (pronounced: “teh-rwahr”, pretend you’re Babwa Wawters), that alchemical representation of the history and place that a wine came from. You can taste the limestone which runs through the vineyard soil. There is an earthiness to his wines as well, from the clay loam and red soil blown in from nearby Monument Valley. All Colorado wines have an inherent mineral quality to them; the Crooked Creek and Guy Drew Vineyard wines have turned this into an asset.


Imbibe Magazine wrote this of the 2003 Guy Drew Vineyards Cabernet Franc: Guy Drew is on to something…. This medium bodied Cabernet Franc is filled with dark fruit aromas and is just acidic enough. Visit Guy on the web at: http://www.guydrewvineyards.com/.



2003 Crooked Creek Syrah $10
Colorado 14% abv
Nice blackberry and plum aromas, framed by earthy smells. Bright cherry flavors in the mouth, with nice mineraly/ earthy notes emerging on the mid-palate. Good depth of flavors, with a hint of herbs that lead up to a finish of dark fruit and tangy acids. Silver Medal at the 2005 Eastern International Wine Competition.


2005 Crooked Creek Rosé $10
Colorado 12%
An off-dry rose made by bleeding juice off Cabernet Franc (25%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (75%) wines (this process will concentrated the remaining juice in proportion to the skins and seeds left in the original fermentation container, making the color and structure of the resulting wine much more intense. At the same time, you get a little pink colored juice, which treated nicely will yield a nice rosé wine to drink over the summer). Nice strawberry aromas that burst onto the palate with your first sip. A little sweeter than I expected, but well made and refreshing.

2003 Crooked Creek Cabernet Sauvignon $10
Colorado 14% abv
This wine highlights the mineral elements of southwestern Colorado. Blackberry fruit and new leather flavors paired with bright acids make it quaffable on its own, or great with food. Black plum, cracked pepper and spice at the finish. Try with BBQ or Colorado lamb, roasted or braised. Took a Silver medal at the 2005 Denver International Competition.


2005 Crooked Creek American Gewurztraminer $11
Colorado/ Utah alc % not in my notes
Lots of melon aromas in the nose, which easily follow to the mouth. Nice spiciness on the palate, a gewürztraminer hallmark, followed by notes of apricots and tropical fruits. This wine shows best with food- I had it at a wine dinner at the Black Cat Bistro in Boulder, Colorado last fall, they paired it with a dish of wild rice spatzle, apples, pumpkin and lemon juice- it made me rethink the wine from my earlier tasting notes. The grapes are source from a vineyard just over the Colorado border in Utah. Worth buying alone just to support a rogue wine industry in Utah.


2004 Crooked Creek Meritage $11
Colorado 14%
A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc, 20%Merlot and 3%Petit Verdot. Aromatic right from the cork pull, this Bordeaux blend exhibits rich plum, black currant and berry extract. Those flavors linger before a spicy vanilla and black pepper finish. There is a great acid/ tannin balance here, should you want to let it age over the next few years. The wine develops complexity in the glass, with chokecherry and hints of leather coming out. There is a mineral tang running through the wine too, helping bring all the flavors together.


2004 Guy Drew Vineyards Syrah $14
Montezuma County, Colorado 14.8% Alcohol
Black raspberry, cassis and spicy vanilla aromas in the nose. A medium-full bodied wine full of dark berry flavors enhanced by layers of cedar, rocky soil and clove/ vanillin spice. Nice complexity to the fruit- develops in the glass to offer up more fruit tones and absorbs the spice into a nice complexity. A great food wine (lamb, BBQ ribs or lentil stews), the relatively high alcohol content doesn’t overwhelm the palate or the aromas. Finishes with strong chocolate notes, and just a hint of earthy minerals. Took Silver Medals at both the 2006 Grand Harvest Awards and the 2006 Colorado Winefest.

2003 Guy Drew Vineyards Cabernet Franc $13

Montezuma County, Colorado 13%

Begins with generous strawberry and rose petal aromas, with hints of anise and vanilla. Comes alive on the palate with mulberry, old leather, and dark plum flavors with some culinary herbs on the fringes. This is a great example of an overlooked varietal- rich, well balanced and intreguing. Pair with lamb (or venison) chops with a dark cherry infused sauce or a more conventional grilled filet mignon. Long finish of dark fruits and oaky vanilla.

2004 Guy Drew Vineyards Riesling $14
Montezuma County, Colorado 13% abv
Nectarine, clover and spicy floral notes in the nose. Starts in the palate with super ripe nectarine, spiced guava and dogwood blossom flavors. A bone dry Riesling (no residual sugar at all) that develops granny smith apple flavors toward the finish, preceded by flower blossom and lemon notes. Slightly bitter at first, but hits it’s stride when matched with food- think spicy Indian or Northern Thai Curries (especially a decent Green Straits Devil curry).



2004 Guy Drew Vineyards “Metate” $30
Montezuma County, Colorado 14%
Guy's reserve wine- really limited quantities made and now very hard to find. A blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 16% each of: Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Petit Verdot. Cedar, black cherry, earth/ moist soil and red currant aromas. Velvet purple in color, starts with red plum, oaky spice and currant flavors. Blackberry and vanilla at the mid-palate through the finish, where you get nice earthy notes. A wine made for aging over the next three or four years, it drinks nicely now. Pair with ancho crusted venison or mole dishes. Develops tobacco and leather aromas and flavors in the glass.

2003 Guy Drew Vineyards Port $20
Colorado 18% abv, 500 ml bottle
Blackberry, honey, vanilla bean custard and candied plum aromas develop in the glass- this is still a very young vintage port. Deep, dark ruby in color- almost opaque- with the texture of melted chocolate. Generous candied plum, bourbon vanilla and complex berry flavors. Some notes of golden raisins, and honey at the mid-palate. This is an almost over-the-top port, that is the perfect antidote for cold weather. Chocolate at the finish with just a hint of minerals. Only 50 cases made, won a silver medal at the Eastern International Wine Competition.

A view of Guy's vineyards, from near the tasting room.