One afternoon [when we were finished with our part in the Albuquerque Balloon Festival activities] we were looking for a place to grab supper. A good friend, who lived locally, told me about the excellent food at St. Clair Winery!! Good food and at a winery!? I was sold.. [Hahaha] and off we went. My friend was not kidding, the food was great, and the atmosphere was filled with ambience. They had multiple wines I really enjoyed, so St. Clair has now been added to my list of wineries that I must re-visit when we are passing through the area!!
I have gone back at least once a year, when we were in town for the Balloon Festival. One of the times we stopped in, so I could stock up on my favorite wines, I was so sad to see that it was no longer St Clair Winery!! It was now D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro. However, after going inside I found out that they still had the St. Clair wines!! [Yippee!!] Upon doing a little research, I learned even more… the winery was still owned by the same sixth generation of winemakers from France, they had just changed the name. They wanted to make things more personal, to make one feel like you were dining with the "Lescombes" family!!
The owners of St. Clair Winery, Herve and his wife Danielle, emigrated to New Mexico with their three children in 1981. This area made him think of his home in Algeria, where he and his ancestors made wine for many generations. He planted his first vines at this time and then in the later part of 1984, he bottled his first wine vintage. St. Clair soon became a New Mexico household name, making their Mimbres Red an award-winning favorite!! [I know it’s one of my favorites!!] The Lescombes family passion for making great wines “is only surpassed by our desire for them to be shared in good times with family and friends.”
The D.H. vineyard is located west of Deming, New Mexico on 220 acres. Each acre is planted with over 1,000 vines that are spaced 8ft x 5ft apart to allow for proper sunlight and water access. I find it so fascinating that they produce an average of 7-10 tons of grapes per acre!! [I’ve always been pretty good at math, but I cannot even begin to calculate how many bottles of wine this would turn out to be!! Haha] I also think it’s so interesting that there are different grapes varietals planted to make the different types of wine. They grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Moscato, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Chenin Blanc, and dozens of others at this vineyard.
Have’s sons, Florent [the winemaker] and Emmanuel [the viticulturist] soon joined the family business. The brothers teamwork provides the key ingredient of nurturing that starts in the vineyard and continues to the winery, allowing the wine to reach its full potential. St. Clair added the D.H. Lescombes label in 1991, D.H. standing for “Danielle and Herve” [ohmygosh how sweet is that!?] In 2005, the family opened the St. Clair Winery and Bistro in Albuquerque’s historic old town. It was named after St. Clair, their most known label. They served French country dishes that paired perfectly with their most popular wines.
The outdoor patio seating was cozy, [as pictured above] and they created a unique gift shop offering wine accessories and gourmet foods for on the go. Showcasing the family’s ingenuity, hard work, and dedication, this small-town family business grew into the local icon that it is today. The name change [I mentioned in the beginning] of the winery took place in 2009, and it was done to honor of Herve and Danielle. They are taking the winery in a direction that better tells the story of the family heritage. They are proud of what they are building and wanted to put the family name on it!!
Not only the name changed, they also changed the wine label to focus more on their D.H. Lescombes wines. St. Clair wines will continue to be offered at retailers across the state [thank goodness] and will remain a part in the Lescombes family’s future. After all, their St. Clair Mimbres Red has grown to become the number one wine in the state!!
You don't wanna miss out on next weeks Wine with Wixy!! We will be back and in Arizona and taking a "Flying Leap" up north to the little town of Prescott, AZ!!
Cheers to you my wine loving friends, and TTFN!!
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