Cellar 433 Review
Address: 240 Hull Street Jerome,Arizona 86331.
Phone Number: 928-634-7033
Tasting Hours: Sun-Fri 11:00-5:00, Sat 10:00-6:00
Region: Arizona
Reviewer: Diane
Review Date: 7/3/2013
Reviewer: Diane
Rating: 4
The Review
In the early 1900s, Jerome was a booming mining town producing copper, silver and gold. Today Jerome is a National Historic Landmark attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists a year and is home to tasting rooms for five Arizona wineries including Bitter Creek Winery, now called Cellar 443. John McLaughlin, owner and vintner, produces his wines from vineyards grown in Willcox, the largest wine growing region in Arizona.
Place: The tasting room hangs on the side of a cliff with magnificent views of the Verde Valley. The wine bar has inlayed turquoise and is a handmade work of art itself. The walls are decorated with art from the Jerome Gallery as well as with Tattoo art. The comfortable, stuffed furniture provides a wonderful spot to enjoy the spectacular views.
Vino: My tasting partner Dave and I selected two flights to share. The labels are very unique; they are pictures of tarot cards and remind visitors of Jeromes ghost town history. Brighid our hostess described the wines as if they had their own personalities which added to the delight of our experience. The wines are very limited and sold only at the tasting room.
The Whites, Queen of Pentacles, had a barnyard nose with baked apricot fruit flavors. It is a blend of Viognier, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc. Joan of Arc,” a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Symphony, Chennin Blanc and Muscat, distinguished itself among the whites. The wine had weight on the palette with a peachy lime, grassy herbs and spice flavors. It finishing with a touch of honey, but had good acidity and was very enjoyable.
High Priestess was a blend of 80% Pinot Gris and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. It had hay on the nose and weighed heavy on the mid palate with ripe peach flavors. This wine had very soft acid and was quite viscous with a short finish.
The Reds: Star a blend of Tempranillo, Primitivo, Multipulciano, and Petite Sirah was truly a STAR in my book. Baked cherry pie flavors with spearmint and funnel spice, caramelized with soft tannins and a licorice finish- quite a mouthful, and exceptionally integrated!
Sultry Cellar All Wrapped Up was another stand out for the reds. This wine had black licorice on the nose with 25% each of Primativo, Malbec, Merlot, and Tempranillo. The acid and tannin was nicely balanced with spice and a cedar finish. The Crusader another fun label is a blend of 60% Syrah, 20% Zinfandel, and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine had ripe fruit on the nose but was quite earthy and better than it smelled. The wine was a bit high in alcohol almost 15% –exactly 14.82% (but then some like it hot!)
A flight of 4 was $10, and the winery isn’t skimpy with their pours. They had crackers to clean the pallet. According to the winery’s website, the VIP wine club membership is free and members receive discounts, although this was not mentioned in the tasting.