Stoney Mesa Winery

The family homesteaded in the area in the 1800's and are the 4th and 5th generations of the Neal family in Western Colorado. We have installed a sophisticated weather and soil monitoring system. Click here for current weather conditions, and to see more data on our vineyards.

Planting started in the Spring of 1990. The Winery estate has 5 varieties under cultivation: Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Merlot, and Chardonnay. Currently Stoney Mesa Winery owns 68 acres total in Delta and Mesa County, and of that 18 acres are in production.

Our Terrior
You would think it would be impossible to grow grapes at this altitude. The climate has been modified by Mother Nature, and is much milder than expected, as if it were thousands of feet lower. The Suns rays are also much more intense making the fruit here ripen well. The evenings are nice and cool, usually 35 deg. cooler than in the daytime. That is very important for good sugar production while maintaining good acid retention.

In June of 2004, Stoney Mesa purchased 8 acres of vineyards in Mesa County that resides in the "Grand Valley (AVA)". Wwith the original Planting Of Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Merlot, Muscat, and Chenin Blanc, was planted in 1982, making this one of the oldest commercial vineyards in Colorado. In 1998, the previous owners added Cabernet Sauvignon, and more Merlot, with a total planting of 6.5 Acres of new and old vines. Stoney Mesa's much sought after Riesling has been produced from this vineyard for many years, and they are now pleased to call it an "Estate vineyard".

in 2008, the family added 7 acres to the farms on East Orchard Mesa in Palisade. 2.5 acres are in Peaches, and they will begin planting in the spring of 2009. Innitially we are planting 1 acre of Pinot Gris.

The "Terrior" is outstanding. Local and World renowned viticultuatlists have compared it to Northern France as well as Yakima, Washington. Located in th valleys of western colorado, Stoney Mesa Winery's Vineyards sit on the edge of a desert and on top of an ancient Ocean/Riverbed. All of the property is up out of the valley floors, and soils reach depths of 12 to 15 feet and have excellent drainage. The upper soil has a high quantity of rock, and preparation of the fields for planting have revealed rock 8 to 10 feet in diameter. The average annual rainfall is 5 to 8 inches and 5 to 10 inches of snow putting the area just above a desert climate. Altitude surprisingly protects the vineyards from severe winter freeze allowing the cold air to drop into the valley floor. Southern exposure also allows for a full day of Sun. Because of the arid climate there are few pest. The only real problem is Odium better known as Powdery Mildew. Every viticulture area has to deal with this and if not managed it can be quite devastating.

All of Stoney Mesa Winery grapes grown and purchased are hand cultivated and harvested assuring as little damage as possible to the fruit prior to picking and processing. Bret patiently waits for optimal ripeness relying on a combination of flavor and a formula. Modern pruning techniques and crop thinning assure the vines are never over cropped.