Casa Abril Vineyards Winery - Algodones

All of these 5-star reviews are inexplicable to me. I can only assume these people have only had New Mexico wines so the bar is already VERY low. The owner (and winemaker) was very friendly knowledgeable which was a shame because his wines were ROUGH. One after another just not good. We took pity and walked away with a couple bottles of the Sangiovese because it was the least inoffensive. We've lived all over California's wine regions and I have never seen a winery not waive a tasting fee with purchase but that's exactly what he did. We were shocked. From the top wineries to the small, boutique ones a tasting fee will be waived if your purchase their wines. Bizarre. We won't be returning but we wish him the best of luck and hopefully he can turn around his wines.

Great hospitality, wine history, and overall great time.

The family land grant in which Casa de Abril Winery is located in Budaghers 20 miles south of Santa Fe is greatly overshadowed by rampant local crime including daily random gunshots. Ironically, the winery owner's nephews perpetuate 99 percent of the crime against outsiders in an effort to keep the Vigil, Leyba, and Tapia families pure. Yes seemingly, this desire to keep the family pure has rendered at least one generation of disturbed criminals. If you dare drive into the neighborhood, lock your car doors and watch your back. Before leaving, be sure to check under your tires for nails. Sad, but true how winery owner Raymond Vigil's winery has suffered because of his own racist family who undermine his best efforts. I have lived in the land grant for nearly 4 years and have been victimized multiple times by that of which I speak.

Talk about a gem of a find (thanks to Google and GPS). If you want quality wine served by the nicest and most knowledgable man, this estate winery is the place to visit. We tasted about 8 different wines, and each of us bought at least one bottle. We plan to return during our next trip to Santa Fe!

Best Wine Tasting.Exceptional Wines!!Our Italian family will regularly use his mail order service.Raymond the owner is a top wine maker.He has won many awards over a long time.So glad we spent the sunny afternoon driving over.Learned a lot and laught much over his great European stories.He served fine chocolates and nuts with each wine taste.We are from Arizona and N. Carolina.So happy we called at the last minute and he fit us in for a private tasting.Our Favorites:2018 Tempranillio2018 Sanglovese