sutcliffe vineyards

Amazing wines - I stumbled upon on this Winery quite by accident. During a happy hour at a Brew-Pub in Durango I noticed Sutcliffe wines on tap and asked the bartender about them. He told me that there big sellers and that people love them. So I Goggled Sutcliffe and the next day I was out to Cortez. The tasting staff is amazing and the owner John Sutcliffe is a hoot. All the wines were amazing my two favorites were the Merlot and Cabernet Franc. These wines are amazingly balanced efforts and my friends back in Scottsdale enjoyed our tasting of Colorado wines. The winery is a little off the road but worth a special visit. It's a nice respite from all the crowds of Durango and Mesa Verde. I plan on returning in the future. Summers are quite hot with temperatures in the low 100's. The Fall would be a great time to visit.

Staff was friendly - we surprised the owner out of a late breakfast but he was more than happy to introduce himself and show us around. We were given exactly the kind of tasting that we wanted (it was before noon) and the staff led us through all of the buildings. Since we were the only ones there we had great one on one time learning all about the wine making process. This was definitely a neat stop!

This was a serendipitous venture to visit a Colorado winery while in nearby Durango. We were greeted on the patio and enjoyed a tasting of the wineries offerings. The other visitors were friends of the owner and we had the pleasure of meeting John Sutcliffe when he arrived. He was gracious in telling us some of the background of the estate and about his work. Bobbie Jo, the tasting room manager was knowledgeable about the wines, made with grapes grown on the property or from other Colorado vineyards. We expecially liked the Riesling and the Sauvingnon Blanc.for whites and the Petit Verdot in the red line up.

We had first tasted and were impressed with Sutcliffe wines in Flagstaff, AZ. On our trip to Crested Butte, CO, we were excited to add a visit Sutcliffe Vinyards along the way. Although Google maps dropped us off 10 miles short of our destination, we persevered until we found the address, nestled in the canyon, with beautiful views We were met by John Sutcliffe himself and treated to several tastings of his excellent wine. Rarely can I say I liked EVERY wine I tasted at a vineyard tasting, this is the exception. John's company and delightful tales rounded out the splendid visit. Thank you John for making us feel welcome.

I had seen good reviews for this vinyards and wanted to go. We were very disappointed because we went for a tasting and tour, but they were really not interested in giving us a tour. Quite a few of the reviews had raved about the tour and the owner. We never met the owner and the lady that helped us seemed like she just wanted us to leave after selling us wine.

We just happened upon this lovely vineyard while looking for the Canyon of the Ancient Ruins--what luck!! It was the whole family-Mom, Dad, a 15 y/o, and a 12 y/o (no we don't usually take the kids to wine tastings-but when the opportunity arises...). The kids moaned as Mom insisted on visiting. We were greeted by the friendly staff in the office and then John (the owner) came in and gave us our wine tasting. We visited for hours, as other reviewers have stated--we heard and shared the best stories. He took us on a great tour of the vineyard. We were able to take a lot of wonderful pictures. Were lucky enough to meet Joe the Wine Maker also! A great group of people ~ all so welcoming! A very enjoyable afternoon--even the kids didn't want to leave! Thanks John!

I cannot say enough about our visit to Sutcliffe Vineyard. It was a perfect way to end a hike in Canyon of the Ancients. We had the grand tour from John Sutcliffe. The guy is truly amazing! Reminded me of "The Most Interesting Man in the World" on the Dos Equis commercial! The wine was so good! It had style and depth. John spent so much time showing us around, from newborn lambs to the barrel room. So glad his passion for wine led him to CO. Don't miss this place.

We had a great time visiting with John. He is very enjoyable to visit with while trying his wines. It is a great stop after visiting Hovenweep!

John is a hoot. We almost did not want to leave. Be sure to allocate time to visit and drink. We ate all sorts of vegetables right off of the vine. His wines were well-priced and delicious and his anecdotes and accent were delightful. I get migraines from other wines but not these. We stayed at Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch in the same canyon so we were able to drive home after sampling the wines.

Wine tasting is always fun. Listening to great stories from a really interesting guy while he pours samples of wine from bottles with his name on it is even more fun. Our whole group had a blast. Just a perfectly picturesque setting.

We were having a family reunion in Durango and decided to visit Sutcliffe Vineyards in Cortez. We enjoyed hearing about the wine and tasting some excellent varieties. John and Judy were warm and welcoming to the five of us and made our visit particularly memorable. The next time we are in the area we will be sure to stop by again.

If you like good wine, charming places, and lovely people, try to make a stop at Sutcliffe vineyards when in Cortez. En route to Hovenweep we stumbled upon the vineyard and felt it was one of the highlights of our visit to the area. The little sign on dirt road "G" is unassuming, but we were well rewarded for taking a chance on checking out a new vinery. Although we arrived without calling ahead, Mr. Sutcliffe and his staff were very welcoming. We were graciously offered sample tastings in a grape vine covered courtyard between the herb garden and part of the vineyard. Afterwards we were taken on a tour of their operation and learned the history of Sutcliffe and their future plans. It was almost sad to leave such a place, but to console ourselves we purchased a case of their wine and will enjoy remembering our visit as well as their wines.

This winery is miles and miles from our stay in Cortez, but sharing time/stories/wine with John Sutcliffe is almost worth it. The wines are generally very good ,but they are costly. He poured from a full-size bottle of an excellent sweet red wine, but we discovered after we bought 2 bottles that the for-sale bottles are much smaller.Interesting and enjoyable; Wines $20 - $36 with "case discount" and they are not all 750 size.Some websites mention a restaurant, but there is none.

My family and I were fortunate enough to have been able to visit with John Sutcliffe at Sutcliffe Vineyards today. It was the perfect end to a perfect trip to Colorado. Mr. Sutcliffe took his personal time to show us about his operations, explain his farming efforts, show us his vegetable and herb gardens as well as his wonderful fruit trees. He then went on to explain his grapes, their harvest and the use of the various grapes for the sorts of wine. He then sat down with my little family of three and we had a lovely tasting of his various offerings. Afterward, he accommodate my request to purchase a couple of cases for both ourselves as well as for a friend. All shipping and handling will be handled by the Vineyard. This was a lovely, relaxed visit and I cannot tell you how much more I enjoyed this tour than others that I've visited. Not that the others were lesser wineries, by any means. It's just a joy to see the small operation that Sutcliffe has and the satisfaction that he and his team have to be providing superior quality wines.I'd highly recommend a visit to this winery. Please call ahead if you're going to visit, but they are open by 12:00 p.m. most everyday for tastings and tours.