Colorado Grapes Are Getting Better

Colorado grapes are getting better…

Sunset Magazine International Wine Competition 2019 awards Buckel Family Wine’s 2016 Chardonnay with gold.

With a growing Colorado presence in the wine industry, it’s great to see Colorado Wineries as well as Colorado grapes receiving national recognition. Buckel Family Wine was awarded a gold medal for their 2016 Chardonnay in the 2019 Sunset Magazine International Wine Competition. The wine was made from Chardonnay grapes grown in Palisade, CO by grower Black Bear Orchards. The competition also awarded other Colorado wineries with medals, although the grapes were sourced from outside of the state. 

The November/December issue of Sunset Magazine recognizes the best wines of the west on page 67.

About Buckel Family Wine: Buckel Family Wine was founded in 2017 by winemaker Joe Buckel and his wife Shamai. They have been getting their wines into the hands of restaurants and liquor stores throughout Colorado, with rave reviews. The winery uses 100% Colorado sourced grapes from Palisade, Hotchkiss, and Cortez vineyards. They produce the wines in Gunnison, CO, with a tasting room slated to open in February.

Buckel Family Wine believes the nuanced grape flavors should be expressed on the nose and palette profile of each wine. Buckel wines are handmade in an old world natural style, with the red wine being unfined and unfiltered.  Classical winemaking techniques are used, with minimal intervention, and no sugars or additives. Other wines being produced by Buckel Family wine include, a red blend, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Cinsualt, Rosé, and Sauvignon Blanc.

“Our 2016 Chardonnay is created in a Burgundian style with grapes sourced from vines planted in the 1970’s in Palisade, CO.  It is an expressive Chardonnay with a richness on the palate finishing with focused acidity,” Joe Buckel