Tierra Madre Vineyards is a small family run business nestled in the northeastern town of Young, Arizona. Once known as Pleasant Valley, Young is steeped in rich history and sheer beauty. It’s a playground for hunters, explorers, and those seeking solitude.
Our passion for nature and travel is what led us, somewhat by accident, into this gorgeous valley. We immediately fell in love with the area and purchased our first 10 acres in 2015. Two years later we began preparing the site for planting and in 2019 we planted our first 333 Vidal Blanc vines. We have since planted an additional 1383 vines.
The property itself is full of charm and mystery. Once an old homestead in the 1920s, you can still see the remnants of the home's stone foundation and the century-old apple, pear, and mulberry trees planted by the Ross Family. The original mail delivery route that once ran from Gisela to Pleasant Valley traverses the property and is now used as our driveway, hence the name, Mail Trail Rd.
You’ll discover many ancient Indian sites that dot the area, and if you’re lucky enough you might even come across some artifacts, not to mention the abundant wildlife present at any given time. There’s always something to discover here!
GRAPES
Located at 5300’ elevation, Tierra Madre Vineyards has a unique micro-climate coupled with rich alluvial soil that allows us to successfully grow certain cold climate varietals such as Vidal Blanc.
The varietal is most known for its production of semi-dry wine and is often blended with other white hybrids to make slightly sweet table wines. It’s a very winter-hardy variety that manages to produce high sugar levels also used in making late harvest style and ice wines.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Ola Young - Renaming of Pleasant Valley
The Young family moved from Gisela to Pleasant Valley in 1889 settling at the old Graham Ranch, a central place in the Valley not far from Tierra Madre Vineyards. One of the daughters, Ola Young, secured a government contract to bring in the mail from Gisela. This became the official mail route and remained so until 1927 when the “good road” from Globe was finally finished and the USPO changed the official route. Ola Young served as Postmistress (retired 1937) for so long and admirably that the official name of “Young” was given as the post office address.
How Mail Trail Road Got Its Name
Mail came into then Pleasant Valley by various routes in the late 1870s-1880’s. It was an informal and often hazardous system consisting of a rider coming from Holbrook, Gisela, Payson, Globe, anywhere. Carrying the packages and mail by packhorse or mule, the rider would then drop items off at the various ranches along the way. As of 1889, one of those drop-off points was the Young Ranch in which the mail trail route traverses Mail Trail Hills, known today as Tierra Madre Vineyards. The U.S.F.S. officially recognizes the road as a Historic Trail.
The Mail Trail
The official trail originated in Gisela to the west of Young and south of present day Payson. Gisela was born from Army Camp Reno (“Soldier Camp”) established to safeguard settlers from Apache attacks and provide a base of operations. Ironically enough, a portion of the trail as it goes through Hells Gate Wilderness was actually a trail leading into the valley that Indians established many centuries before.
The Ross Homestead
The droughts, especially of 1903-1904, the coming of the Forest Service, and new range use laws changed Pleasant Valley. An era came to an end between 1905 and the Homestead Act of 1914.
New ranchers and then settlers, people who practiced agriculture not just ranching, came into the Valley. The Ross family came as settlers during this era which lasted in diminished form during the Depression found some strength during WWII, but ended in the 1950s when many of the old-timers died and/or sold their places.
The Ross Family planted the orchard you see today at Tierra Madre Vineyards and kept a kitchen garden going. The orchard consisted mainly of pear and apple trees. They excavated a root cellar which provided underground storage for the potatoes and other root crops they grew. That mound is still visible under the big tree west of the cabin site. They also grew beans in the lower part of the field which is now phase two of Tierra Madres Vineyards. Their water came from a hand-dug well located near the houses’ foundation but has since been filled.
There are future plans to excavate the well.
The Cosentino Family
Use of Mail Trail Hills shifted to grazing during the 1940s and 1950s. Robert Conlin of Cottonwood, AZ purchased the property in the 1960s. He sold the property to Frank Cosentino in 1977 and was eventually passed on to his children.
Sandra Cosentino (daughter of Frank), M.A. Land Use, lived on the property for several years during the 1990s. She used Mail Trail Hills as a Spiritual Retreat for selected clientele and practiced modern land-use methods that left a lighter footprint.
She erected the native stone building on the property as a meeting place and social area.
The Oliver Family - Mail Trail Ranch
In 2015 the Oliver Family purchased a portion of Mail Trail Hills which they named, Mail Trail Ranch. They have since repurposed the native stone building into a livable space. They built the main house, guest house/garage and the tractor barn as well as adding trees and lush vegetation. A raised garden and greenhouse were added a few years later.
In 2017 they began preparing the land and installing the infrastructure need for the vineyard. By 2019 they had changed the property name to Tierra Madre Vineyards and planted their first 333 Vidal Blanc vines. As of May 2020, phase two of the vineyard has been planted and consists of 1383 Vidal Blanc vines. There are many new and exciting developments coming. So stay tuned!
For more information go to www.TierraMadreVineyards.com
