Two years ago Bob Fraser, Director of the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (SFCWC), opened the event to entries from Mexico and Canada for a cross section of the quality wines North America can deliver across its many climates and terrains. While Mexico may not be the first country one considers when thinking of outstanding winemaking, it’s time to think again.
Inland from seaside city of Ensenda and nearly two hours south of the border lies the Valle de Guadalupe, a unique agricultural basin approximately 3 miles wide and 10 miles long. In June 2019, several of the nearly 100 wineries in the region played host to a contingent from the SFCWC seeking to learn more about reports of fine wines being produced in the valley and the people who make them.
While Mexico has been growing grapes for well over 400 years, attention to premium winemaking in the Mexican wine industry didn’t get its start until the 1970s. This is particularly true with the Valle de Guadalupe with immigrants from various countries in Europe who realized the potential for making wines with broader appeal and that reflected the best of what the semi-arid terrain had to offer. Today, world class vintages from the valley have come of age and are being produced by many of the winemakers in the region who have adopted sustainable conservation-minded land management practices along with investment in state-of-the-art production facilities.
Collectively, wineries in the valley are producing many of the premium wines coming out of Mexico and span a full range of French, Italian and Spanish vintages as well as intriguing layered blends of each. While most of the wines produced in the valley are consumed in Mexico, some are finding favor overseas and several labels increasingly making their way into U.S. markets through southern California importers.
During our 3-day visit to the valley, the SFCWC group was generously hosted by several wineries including Las Nubes, El Cielo, L.A. Cetto, Monte Xanic, Paolo Paoloni’s Villa Montefiori, and Casa Magoni. Both Paolo Paoloni and Camillo Magoni are two of a small handful of the regions’ premium wine-making patriarchs and willingly share their experiences and the history of developing Mexico’s wine industry. Other established wineries in the valley that should be considered for any visit to the region should include Bruma, Vinos Lechuza, Paralelo, Adobe Guadalupe, Vena Cava, Santo Tomas, and Torres Allegre’ to name a few.
Entries from Mexico for the 2020 SFCWC competition included L.A. Cetto, the largest wine producer in Mexico, along with entries from El Cielo and Monte Xanic, who along with L.A. Cetto, also have limited U.S. distribution. Three entries, including two from El Cielo and one from L.A. Cetto, received the prestigious Best-of-Class Award. The best-of-class award is bestowed on wines judged to be the best of all wines entered in a particular category. These best-of-class wines included L.A. Cetto’s 2015 Reserva Privada Nebbiolo, and wines from El Cielo’s astrology series including ‘Hubble,’ a 2017 Merlot, and the 2016 ‘Perseus’, a blend of Sangiovese and Nebbiolo. In addition to their best-of-class award, L.A. Cetto earned a gold for their delightfully crisp 2018 Sauvignon Blanc along with three silvers for their Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and Petite Sirah entries. El Cielo also earned two golds for their G & G branded submittals from winemaker Gina Estrada including the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2016 Tempranillo-leading red blend “Gran Reserva”. Along with their two best-of-class awards El Cielo earned six silvers including excellent selections of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Malbec to name a few. Entries from Monte Xanic also took two silver awards including one for their elegant Grenache Rose’ and well-balanced Sauvignon Blanc. The full list of award-winners from the 2020 competition can be found at https://winejudging.com/medal-winners/
The SFCWC group came away with a deeper appreciation for the history of winemaking in the Valle de Guadalupe and the breadth of quality wine varietals produced. Many of the wines judged from the region stood up to the best that North America has to offer and should serve as an invitation to onenophiles everywhere to venture south and experience firsthand what north Baja has to offer. There are many travel companies based in San Diego area with varied Baja wine region travel packages including itineraries to multiple wineries along with excellent hotel accommodations and fine restaurants featuring local flavor menus both on the nearby coast and in the valley itself. Several of the wineries also offer overnight stays in elegant resort surroundings along with top rated onsite restaurants featuring local wine pairings.
Valle de Guadalupe
Las Nubes Winery
El Cielo Winery
Monte Xanic Winery
L.A. Cetto Winery
Casa Magoni Winery
Montefiori Winery
