Tasting Report: Mexican Wines, Vinos Mexicanos
The first time I went to Mexican wine country was in 1988. I drove down with a friend to the vineyards in Valle de Guadalupe about a half an hour east of Ensenada, Baja California. That’s a two-hour drive south of San Diego over the United States/Mexico border in Tijuana.
There wasn’t much quality wine being made. Most was produced by large companies such as Domecq and L.A. Cetto. Small quality wine producers were non-existent. The Domecq wines were shipped in container trucks to be bottled near Mexico City.
But I found something fascinating about the place. Maybe because I had a love affair with Baja California in my teens when I used to surf at various beaches between Tijuana and Ensenada? Or because it reminded me of times with my grandfather fishing in Baja?
Anyway, I never got back until 2004. And I couldn’t believe the difference. Some serious wine was being made – mostly from enologist Hugo d’Acosta, Mexico’s Michel Rolland, and the owner/winemaker of Casa de Piedra, one of the founding top boutique Mexican wineries. A number of other small wineries were bottling cool things as well.
I kept coming back each year. I even did two harvests myself in the Valle de Guadalupe, the main vine growing area. I bottled a barrel of wine, El Sueno, with a couple of friends. And I made my charity wine there: One Wine One World.
So I figured it was about time to do a serious tasting of Baja wines. I drove across the border the first week of January and drove down to Valle de Guadalupe. About 100 samples were waiting for me to taste blind at the winery/inn Adobe Guadalupe. It took a couple of days to get through the wines with my friend from Monterrey, Mexico, wine merchant Humberto Falcon. We shot some coolio videos as well.
We found about four dozen vino chingon – what local winemakers call “f’ing good wines!” Those were the wines I scored 90 points or more in this report.
It’s hard to generalize. But I mostly like wines made from Rhone or Italian grape types including Carignan, Grenache, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, and Syrah. Blends are very cool as well. The most recent vintages seem the best: 2010 and 2009.
Check out my tasting notes. Unfortunately, many of the wines are only available in Mexico – mostly in the wine region or in smart restaurants and wine shops in major cities such as Mexico City. An online wine merchant in California opened last year specializing in Baja wines, so you might want to try them: BajaWines.
Also tasted, but not receiving marks of 90 points or more:
2010 G Salinas Tractor Rojo 2007 L.A. Cetto Sangiovese Baja California Boutique 2008 L.A. Cetto Valle de Guadalupe Terra Don Luis Seleccion Reservada 2008 Tres Valles Baja California Kojaa 2007 Union de Productores del Valle de Guadalupe Valle de Guadalupe Txtura 2 2007 Vinisterra Tempranillo Baja California Macouzet 2005 Adobe Guadalupe Valle de Guadalupe Miguel 2009 Casa de Piedra Valle de Guadalupe Contraste 2009 Emeve Cabernet Sauvignon Valle de Guadalupe E 2009 Hacienda La Lomita Tempranillo Valle de Guadalupe Sacro 2009 Las Nubes Valle de Guadalupe Cumulus 2008 Mogor Badan Valle de Guadalupe 2008 Monte Xanic Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon Valle de Guadalupe Edicion Limitada 2010 Tintos del Norte 32 Valle de Guadalupe Cabernet 2008 Tres Valles Baja California Maat 2008 Villa Montefiori Valle de Guadalupe Paoloni 2009 Vinas de Garza Valle de Guadalupe El Sombrero 2007 Vinisterra Syrah San Antonio de las Minas Macouzet 2009 Adobe Guadalupe Valle de Guadalupe Jardin Secreto 2007 Baron Balche Valle de Guadalupe Reserva Especial 2009 G Salinas Merlot Valle de Guadalupe Mirlo 2010 Hacienda La Lomita Valle de Guadalupe Tinto de la Hacienda 2010 Hacienda La Lomita Valle de Guadalupe Bodegas Espacio en Blanco 2009 La Trinidad Baja California Fauno 2010 Mogor Badan Valle de Guadalupe Chasselas del Mogor 2009 Quinta Monasterio Cabernet-Merlot Valle de Guadalupe 2009 Roganto Cabernet Franc Valle de Guadalupe Seleccion Especial 2008 S Syrah Valle de Guadalupe 2009 Vena Cava Valle de Guadalupe Big Blend 2008 Vinas Pijoan Garnacha Valle de Guadalupe 2009 Vinas Pijoan Valle de Guadalupe Mare 2009 Vinedos Malagon Valle de Guadalupe Equua 2009 Vinicola Emeve Tempranillo Valle de Guadalupe 2005 Vinicola Torres Alegre y Familia Tempranillo Cru Garage 2006 Vinicola Torres Alegre y Familia Valle de Guadalupe La Llave Blanca 2009 XikBal Valle de Guadalupe 2008 Estacion Porvenir Valle de Guadalupe Union de Productores del Valle de Guadalupe 2011 JC Bravo Palomino Valle de Guadalupe 2009 La Trinidad Zinfandel Valle de Guadalupe Minotauro 2010 Las Nubes Valle de Guadalupe Seleccion de Barricas 2009 Retorno Merlot Valle de Guadalupe Seleccion Especial 2009 Roganto Sauvignon Blanc Valle de Guadalupe 2009 Roganto Valle de Guadalupe Padre Piccolo 2008 Roganto Valle de Guadalupe Tramonte 2009 Vena Cava Tempranillo Valle de Guadalupe 2010 Vinas de Garza Valle de Guadalupe Blanco del Rancho Mogorcito 2003 Vinicola Torres Alegre y Familia Valle de Guadalupe La Llave Tinta edium;">2009 Baron Balche Sauvignon Blanc Valle de Guadalupe Spiral 2006 L.A. Cetto Valle de Guadalupe 1928 Reserva Commemorativa 2010 Las Nubes Valle de Guadalupe Kuiiy 2009 Montano Benson Valle de Guadalupe Del Mar Bermejo 2008 Roganto Tempranillo Ensenada Seleccion Especial Tinta de la Baja 2011 Vinicola Torres Alegre y Familia Valle de Guadalupe Retorno Piluchas 2010 L.A. Cetto Viognier Valle de Guadalupe Seleccion Reservada 2009 Montano Benson Valle de Guadalupe Murmullo 2008 Proyecto Firmamento Valle de Guadalupe 5 Estrellas 2009 Vinas de Garza Valle de Guadalupe Tinto del Rancho Mogorcito 2010 Vinedos Lafarga Chardonnay Valle de Guadalupe Equinoccio 2010 Vinicola Torres Alegre y Familia Valle de Guadalupe Del Viko 2006 Vinicola Torres Alegre y Familia Nebbiolo Valle de Guadalupe Cru Garage N.V. Retorno Valle de Guadalupe 2009 Roganto Pinot Noir Valle de Guadalupe Seleccion Especial 2010 Monte Xanic Chenin Blanc Valle de Guadalupe Cosecha Tardia 2009 Tres Valles Baja California Maat – First posted February 22, 2012.