deep sky vineyard
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The Universe in a Glass of Wine
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Story and Photos by Thomas Ale Johnson
ome explore our wines with us.”
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This phrase can be found on the back of each bottle of Deep Sky Vineyard wine. The name, “Deep Sky”, comes from the sense of wonder that one feels when staring into the starry night sky or contemplating the universe that exists in a glass of wine. These natural phenomena can be appreciated for their beauty alone or be examined and scrutinized with seemingly limitless potential to explore ‘the unknown’. Philip and Kimberly Asmundson began their personal exploration of the world of wine as many do discovering and drinking fine wines from around the world and then building a private collection. As the Asmundsons’ wine collection grew, a new passion started to emerge — a desire to grow grapes and be involved in the winemaking process. The journey into producing wine began in April 2009 with the purchase of a small vineyard in the Uco Valley just south of Mendoza, Argentina. Although they visit the vineyard (planted with Malbec) on occasion for wine blending and approval of farming techniques, it is more of a “turnkey operation”. The property was developed by an organization called The Vines of Mendoza which also provides the vineyard management services. The adventure migrated closer to home when they were struck by the similarities between certain areas in Arizona and the Mendoza region in Argentina. Further research led the Asmundsons to buy land on the Willcox Bench in December 2009 and plant grape vines in April 2011. This southeastern Arizona vineyard is close enough to their home in Marana for it to receive year-round personal attention from the Asmundsons and Kim now spends much of her time in the vineyard tending to their 15,000 vines. Though separated by a distance of 5,200 miles, the two vineyards are connected in many ways. Both are at high elevations: Willcox is 4,200 feet and Uco Valley is 3,500 feet. With similar overall temperatures, rainfall, access to large underground aquifers, similar solar indexes, almost no ocean influence and almost identical sandy loam soils, there can be no question that these vineyards belong together despite their geographical orientation. Add to this the fact that the Arizona vineyard lies at approximately 33 degrees north latitude and the Argentinian vineyard 33 degrees south and we see a harmonious pattern emerging - a perpetual dance between the two vineyards where the new growth of spring in one location signals harvest in the other. Naturally, the first grape variety the Asmundsons decided to plant in the Arizona vineyard was Malbec. They are not surprised that this grape has thrived here, because the suspicion that Malbec would do well in Arizona was what led them down this particular path of discovery.
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The Deep Sky philosophy is “Fruit First” based on their belief that 80% of the wine comes from the field. Of course, any expedition stands a better chance of success when the explorers are accompanied by reliable guides. The Asmundsons mention several who have aided them along the way, including Jim Minniger who helped them establish a healthy vineyard, Don Sobey who came in as vineyard consultant in 2014 to realize the full potential of their fruit, and Andrew Wolf who joined as the day-to-day vineyard manager. All of their current Arizona wines were made by winemaker Rob Hammelman at the state-of-the-art Aridus Custom Crush facility in Willcox. On a personal note, I am writing this article from the perspective of another who has been invited along on this journey. My role has been in the area of consulting and collaborating with the Asmundsons to develop a brandable identity and to design the wine labels. I was intrigued by the idea of the two mirrored vineyards on opposite sides of the planet. The final logo indicates the symmetry and harmony between
adventure migrated closer ‘‘The to home when they were struck
by the similarities between certain areas in Arizona and the Mendoza region in Argentina.
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the two vineyards with an “A” for Arizona and an “A” for Argentina. The “A” also stands for Asmundson. The 23-degree tilt of the logo matches the axis of the earth itself and the equatorial line in the logo also hints at a planar view of a galactic spiral, bringing us back to the infinite possibilities in the deep sky or in the wine universe. The individual labels are abstract representations of each wine’s celestial namesake and the sensory experience released when the bottle is opened and enjoyed. A particularly fascinating part of the Deep Sky tasting experience is trying the Malbec grown and produced in Argentina side-by-side with the Malbec grown and produced in Arizona. Until you get your own chance to taste them, Kim & Phil have a few notes to share: “Both are very big wines in terms of structure and tannins. They’re both loaded with dark fruits such as plums, prunes and blackberries. What’s really different is the impact of the terroir. The Arizona wines tend to be a bit more earthy in their finish while the Argentina wines have more of a silky finish. Both are great and it’s fun to taste them side-by-side.” Currently available are their Argentinian Malbec-based “LaKaWa” wines (2011 and 2012), which take their name from the initials of the Asmundsons’ three children, Lauren, Katie and William. The 2013 LaKaWa and new 2014 Argentinian Torrontés called “Yendola” will be arriving in a few months. At the time of this writing, the only available
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Philip and Kimberly Asmundson began their personal exploration of the world of wine as many do – discovering and drinking fine wines from around the world and then building a private collection.
Deep Sky Vineyard wine from Arizona is the Aurora Viognier. This delicious white wine from their Willcox vineyard was a double gold medal winner at the 2014 Arizona Republic wine competition. Three Arizona red wines and a rosé will be released soon: Big Bang – a 100% Malbec; Gravity – a 75% Syrah and 25% Petite Sirah blend; and Orbit – a 50% Syrah and 50% Grenache blend. The 2014 Nebula Rosé was crafted from early harvest Grenache fruit.
The overall mission of Deep Sky Vineyard is a lofty one. “Bottom line, wine when done well is not just a product - it’s art. It needs to express the characteristics of the region and the grape varietal to create a truly unique experience. It should take advantage of the characteristics of different varietals to create new experiences even for seasoned wine connoisseurs. It should excite, challenge and wow with every sip. These are the bars we set every year and as long as we see progress towards excellence every year we know we are staying true to our philosophy.” The next chapter of the Deep Sky story will take place in the Sonoita/Elgin area in southern Arizona. This will be the future home of a tasting room plus a new vineyard to be planted in 2016. Until the tasting room opens, we can watch their progress in producing great wine (on both sides of the equator) as we look up into the sky or down into a glass and contemplate everything that comes next.
Their Arizona Malbec was named “Big Bang” because, “the Big Bang started this strange place we call our world and, for us, Malbec was the start of our entry into the world of the wine business.”
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Thomas Ale Johnson owns and operates TRUST Art & Design and Wines of Willcox. See TrustArtAndDesign.com and WillcoxWines.com for more information. Deep Sky Vineyard DeepSkyVineyard.com
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Currently available are their Argentinian Malbec-based “LaKaWa” wines (2011 and 2012), which take their name from the initials of the Asmundsons’ three children, Lauren, Katie and William.
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