El Alamo Winery

Meaning "The Cottonwood" and home to the largest Cottonwood tree in New Mexico (second in U.S.), this small, family run boutique winery will fill that special place in your wine heart. The estate has been in family hands for about 200 years and was already a working farm for apples and apricots. Winemaker and founder, Joseph Martinez, had already taken a stab at making wine for about 15 years for the family. Almost a decade ago, he and his family began planting vines on the estate of primarily Riesling and Baco Noir. With his mechanical engineering background, his science-based approach to winemaking and intuitive talent has yielded some great tasting wines. 2017 was the first commercial vintage and the tasting room opened in 2020. With about 1200 vines on the estate as well as grapes sourced from other New Mexico vineyards, this new operation has been producing about 300-600 cases per year of wine. There are a lot of different wines to try on the list. For the whites, there are four different Riesling styles from dry, semi-dry, to sweet. Ranging in vintages from 2018 - 2020, each has their own unique character on Riesling notes, but those citrus, apple, and apricot notes are all quite pleasing. Also on the list is an Apricot wine. This surprisingly dry like fruit wine was from a bumper crop they had and has good acids for food pairing. For the Boco Noir grapes, check out their Rosés. Taste all of them from dry to sweet, but all vintages from 2018 to 2020 will peak your senses with lots of aromas of strawberries. You will be in for a special treat with their 2021 Primavera. This porch sipping wine is a blend of Riesling and Baco Noir with fantastic floral notes. For the red wines, start off with the 2018 Baco Noir. Light in tannins, it has a smokiness to it along with flavors reminiscent of a Pinot Noir. The 2020 Baco Noir will tickle your wine senses with some bourbon notes along with flavors of plums. There are also some traditional reds on the list to try including, 2019 Petite Sirah (dark garnet color, light acids), 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon (black cherry notes, rich mouthfeel), 2018 Tempranillo (black pepper, bold, tannic), and the 2020 Nebbiolo (light color, big tannins, rose petal notes). Save some room at the end for their dessert wines. For Riesling lovers, the white version is clocking in at 18% abv and is quite soothing to the soul. The red dessert wine is based off the Baco Noir. Fortified with Brandy, this 2020 beast is what to savor for at the end of a long day and great meal. Also on the horizon are Sangiovese and Petit Verdot wines to be added to the menu. A number of these wines have also garnered top awards at the 2021 New Mexico State Fair Wine Competition. This is a great gem to stop and visit North of Santa Fe as you trek along state road 68. The family and friends there are the best and will treat you quite well. It is always a pleasure visiting a new winery during its early startup years and we look forward to future visits with this one to see how they continue to grow. Cheers!

Excellent wine, award winning and tasted like so. We had the best experience having a tasting with the owner, and enjoyed meeting him, he's a fun story teller. We highly recommend to stop here. What a gem! Don't miss seeing this big beautiful tree in back

A wonderful experience! The owner proprietor was accommodating and wonderful! I do recommend calling or booking online in advance. Had a great tasting and purchased a few bottles to go! Don't sleep on this winery!

I downloaded Yelp for the first time just to give this place 5 stars. It was easily the best wine tasting experience I've ever had. It was only $10 to try 20+ wines and it's all run by one man who makes all of the wine and runs the winery himself. He did such an amazing job explaining all of the wines and every single wine was delicious. The winery is an extension of his home which made it feel more personal and is also home to one of the largest cottonwood trees which made the experience even cooler. It's almost impossible to leave without buying a bottle (or 2, or 3 ). 10/10 definitely going back

Ten out of ten rating for this winery! The owner Joseph makes all of his own wine and has a LOT of different flavors and years to try. This is the place to go if you want delicious wines with the background of exactly how it's made. Worth the drive from Santa Fe!

Delicious wines!!! Joseph, the owner, is super sweet and great to spend time with. We found this place by accident as we were driving thru & stopped to see if we could get a tasting, appointments are recommended or hope you get lucky, like we did ;)

A hidden gem! They serve hyper-local, award-winning wine. Visiting is a special experience. If you're lucky, Joe will guide your tasting. His knowledge and passion for his wine really shows. A wonderful experience and really, REALLY great wine. We will be back again for sure!