(Based on a visit two years ago.) Bill Staltari is one of the founders of Arizona’s modern wine industry. His father was a fourth generation Calabrese winemaker who immigrated to Brooklyn and taught Bill the art that Bill eventually brought to Arizona. He planted his vineyards in the Camp Verde area in 1978 and began producing wine in 1980. A keepsake he gave us is a slick three-fold flier from goodness knows what year, advertising Arizona’s wine industry by illustrating the state’s four wineries of the time, including San Dominique – the only one of the four in northern Arizona. A former chef, he has a keen sense of flavor: We tasted some of his cooking and many of his wines, and his skill at flavor-blending is not to be underestimated. See, Bill does not believe, as many do, that winemaking ultimately happens in the vineyard. He’s a chef at heart, and he is quite firm that it’s all about what happens in the blending. We tasted his fine wines, his artistic wines, and some that he blended for contemporary Millennial Generation tastes, plus some eccentric flavor wines such as his Hot Pepper Wine (Chenin Blanc, Columbard, and hot chilies, made to be served very cold with Greek, Spanish, or Italian foods). In every category, there was rare flavor skill. Oh, and he sells garlic and garlic products, especially sauces and pastes. He’s quoted as saying, “Garlic is the way to heaven,” though he didn’t get around to saying that to us. Bill probably isn’t for everyone, and he’ll be the first to say so. If you want a slick tasting room, you won’t find it. He is literally off the beaten track (though there is an excellent dirt road leading up to his place). Pull up, ring the big bell outside to let him know he has a visitor, and walk into a vault of 35 years of wine making and southern Italian cuisine. We brought home three of his wines. The best of these was a Sauvignon Blanc, non-vintage but several years in the bottle. It more resembled Bordeaux examples, with a soft, almost creamy feel, gently lemony, grassy, and with a proper garnish of pipi du chat; with sufficient acids to excite the palate while avoiding the snappy, extra crisp style of most California Sauvignon Blanc. We also bought his 1998 and 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, both with vivid cherry and dark berry fruit and the accent peppers one finds in most Cabs that aren’t from Napa. Both were still fresh, bright wines, but, while the ’98 had started to turn quiet, the 10-year-old ’05 was nearly perfect.

My wife and I recently visited San Dominique after more than 10 years. Back then, Bill the owner of San Dominique used to rent out a few rooms at this place much like a B&B. The last time we visited and stayed overnight we had an amazing experience. The wine and food were fabulous. Fast forward to 2017 and San Dominique is not what it used to be. I have to agree with another viewer that the tasting room smells like an old wet dog, at least ti did when we were there. It was dusty and we saw quite a few cob webs around. The wines were decent, but the charm this place once had is long gone. Its sad to see things have declined. Our suggestion is to not bother stopping here any longer. If you want a truly authentic winery experience then you're going to have to drive a little longer up to Arizona Stronghold Vineyards located in Cottonwood.