The Sparkling Spirit of the Southwest
Our New Mexico Vineyards
With high elevation, sandy loam soils, and sweeping winds to naturally keep away pests and thin the canopy for greater flavors, New Mexico’s desert landscape proved the ideal starting ground for Gruet.
Our New Mexico Vineyards
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30 Planted Vineyard Acres
Planted exclusively for Gruet
The Tamaya Vineyard was planted in 2014 and first harvested in 2016, Tamaya Vineyard is a unique partnership between the Pueblo of Santa Ana and Gruet Winery. Grapes are grown to our winemaking team’s specifications, who oversees every step of the process, and vineyard maintenance and harvesting is managed by the Pueblo. The partnership is a true testament to Gruet’s commitment to its New Mexico roots.
Varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier
Soil: Sandy Loam
Elevation: 5,110 feet
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75 Planted Vineyard Acres
Gruet contracted source
Gruet purchased this vineyard near the Elephant Butte Reservoir in 1983 as the start of the legacy in the United States. Today, although no longer owned by Gruet, it is still a source of fruit for many of our cuvées.
Varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Soil: Sandy Loam
Elevation: 4,245 feet
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300 Planted Vineyard Acres
Gruet contracted source
Varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Soil: Sandy Loam
Elevation: 4,335 feet
Beyond New Mexico
In order to ensure outstanding consistency year after year, Gruet sources its grapes from various vineyards in different regions of the United States: New Mexico, Washington, and California. In Washington, a significant resource for grapes, we are able to take advantage of Gruet’s sister wineries’ estate vineyards in the Columbia Valley.
Just as in Champagne, France, where the grapes are often selected from multiple vineyards in the region, sourcing from several states leads to a more complex wine. Different terroirs bring different components to the final blend. For example from New Mexico, Gruet gets rich fruit flavors and from Washington, Gruet achieves bright acidity. This cross-state blending truly establishes Gruet as the genuine American Sparkling Wine.
“This is a delicate process which involves math, microbiology, chemistry, and lots of heart labor.”
– Carrie Gurule, Head Winemaker
A stalwart hidden gem at Gruet Winery for years, Carrie has traveled widely, studying under French, Italian, New Zealand, and American winemakers. She brings specialized experience in vineyard and winery operations management, and has been responsible for Gruet’s cellar processes, quality control, and lab management.
In New Mexico, where Carrie was born and raised, she embraced the art of making sparkling wine in the Champagne-style method for which Gruet is beloved. Her favorite part of being an assistant winemaker: "Making new yeast babies and watching them grow."
“Farming and fermentation are complex in their simplicity, constantly keep me guessing and force my brain to improvise and think creatively.”
– Sarah Cabot, Consulting Winemaker
Sarah has been making wine in the Willamette Valley for almost 15 years. She was the Principal Winemaker for Omero Cellars from its founding in 2008 until early 2014. Prior to that she served as an assistant winemaker for Willakenzie Estate and started in Oregon as a harvest intern and then assistant winemaker for Belle Pente Vineyard in Carlton. Sarah also worked abroad as cellar assistant with Akarua Vineyard and Winery in Central Otago, New Zealand during the 2010 season.
Since joining Battle Creek in 2016, Sarah has also led the crafting of Walla Walla-based Browne Family Vineyards’ Oregon and sparkling lineup. Battle Creek’s still wines, which primarily consist of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, are the two prominent grapes leveraged in the historical process of méthode champenoise sparkling winemaking. Her still and sparkling wines have earned honors from Wine Enthusiast, Wine & Spirits Magazine, Wine Spectator, James Suckling, Oregon Wine Competition, and Sip Magazine, among others. Battle Creek officially joined the Browne Family umbrella in 2023.
Sarah earned her winemaking and viticulture degree from the Northwest Wine Academy at South Seattle Community College. Today, Sarah crushes 1,300 tons of Pinot Noir each harvest – putting her in a select group of large-scale Oregon winemakers who also earn critical acclaim each vintage. She is also one of the only women on that list.
High Altitude Sparkle: Gruet in the News
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Gruet: French Quality Bubbles from The American Desert
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Guess This Brut's Origin. Wrong! It's New Mexico.
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In Mimbres Valley, New Mexico’s Largest AVA, ‘Holy Water’ Makes Magic
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Bubbles Across America
