Mexican Winemaking Has Come of Age
Our Neighbor to the South is Surprising the Wine World with its Newfound Quality & Newly Exceptional Wine Regions
My first encounter with Mexican wine was in 1971, during the same boozy weekend I was introduced to the evils of agave poisoning at Hussong’s Cantina in Ensenada.
The old Santa Tomas winery on the road to Estero Beach six miles south of town had enormous wooden tanks blackened by age. A quick tasting revealed forgettable table wines except for the sweet sherries which suited our immature Gringos Americanos palates just fine.
Wine wasn’t new to Mexico in the 20th century; grapes have been grown by the padres since the 1500s for sacramental wine )and tableside refreshment, I imagine). By the time I arrived in 1971 winemaking was still done in redwood tanks where cleanliness wasn’t the utmost virtue. Not too different than much of California winemaking before the 1960s.
Fifty years later, the Mexican wine scene has not only improved dramatically, it has flourished not only in northern Baja California’s Guadalupe Valley, but in regions extending down to the center of the country, including exceptional vineyards at some of the highest grape-growing elevations in the world.
The success of the California wine market has forced the world to make better and better wines, and foreign investment in the wines of Mexico, especially by Spanish and French wine companies, has transformed these sleepy agricultural areas into eye-popping luxury destinations, with the innovative and exciting food scene following closely behind. Those who have visited these regions have conveyed enthusiastic reviews for the food, wines and accommodations of the Guadalupe Valley, between Ensenada and Tecate. Many articles in wine and lifestyle publications have echoed their praise.
We’ve quietly been curating a selection of fine wines from Mexico and each year more and more of our customers are taking them home, perhaps because some have visited these regions and are fans or they are appreciative of the recognizable grape varieties that make up most of the source material for these wines. Either way, they find enjoyment from the wines of Mexico and return to buy them again and again.
Recently we hosted a Saturday tasting of the newest generation of Mexican wines and were surprised to discover how many wines came from outside the Guadalupe Valley. They were comprised of varietals like Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, but most were tintos, red blends with original and unconventional combinations. More interestingly, these winemakers are not trying to mimic Napa Valley, experimenting instead with grape varieties such as Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Verdejo and Tempranillo which are sometimes bottled varietally, but often in creative blends as we discovered at our tasting.
Here are my impressions of the wines we sampled:
2023 Finca La Carrodilla “Ir Y Venir” Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a favorite grape variety for the Guadalupe Valley and other wine regions in Mexico, I suspect, because of its thirst-quenching ability in the often sun-drenched country. Finca La Carrodilla’s version is a steely version, with a naturally funky aroma that several of our tasters found compelling.
$23.99 per bottle
2023 Rancho Llano Colorado “Casa Jipi” Sauvignon Blanc
Valle de San Vicente, Baja California, Mexico
Three generations of the Curis family have been devoted to grape growing from this little-known Baja valley about an hour-and-a-half drive southeast of Ensenada. Surprisingly, this small area in Baja has an ample water supply to nourish their vineyards in an otherwise arid location. The family makes wine from Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay and the crisp Spanish white wine variety Verdejo.
This pleasantly grassy and crisp, easy-drinking Sauvignon Blanc reminded me of California’s versions in the 1970s and 1980s. Not trying to be profound, but mindful of its role in providing a refreshing wine for the table, it has a light-to-medium body, with clean, persistent, brisk flavors.
$20.99 per bottle
2023 Tierra Adentro Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay Viognier
Tierra Adentro isn’t the first winery to blend Chardonnay and Viognier, admittedly a New-World creation, but it has created an original white wine from vineyards in Zacatecas. You can detect the subtle floral contributions from the Viognier which comes through more in the taste than the aroma. And you’ll immediately recognize the breadth and weight contributed by the Chardonnay in this blend which results in a rounder texture. Pure Chardonnay flavors emerge in the finish.
Tierra Adentro is smack-dab in the middle of the country, midway between Monterrey and Guadalajara. After thirty years developing their vineyards, the Lopez family made its first wines in 2010, and this white wine blend is a handsome production from a wine region new to us.
$24.99 per bottle
2022 Tres Raices Nebbiolo Sangiovese, Guanajuato, Mexico
We discovered the Guanajuato region a few years ago with the release of Tres Raices’ excellent rosé. Since then, we’ve been enthralled with this high-altitude growing region located due east of Guadalajara, and particularly the handsome wines of this estate established in 2016.
Tres Raices Nebbiolo Sangiovese has a musted color, with brilliant aromatics jumping out of the glass. You probably wouldn’t find a blend like this in Italy—Nebbiolo is the great Piedmont classic and Sangiovese the king of Tuscany—but the New World doesn’t have these constraints. As a result you get spiciness from the Nebbiolo and pure Sangiovese flavor, which makes this delightful red wine very Italian-esque.
$37.99 per bottle
2023 Azizam “Zaza” Red Blend, Tecate, Mexico
Only natural sulfites occur in this wine—no added sulfur at all. It appears to be unfiltered. Fun label. Inside the wine has a flavor of inner tube followed by a tart finish. 80% Nebbiolo, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Tempranillo. Natural winemaking.
$23.99 per bottle
2021 Viña Cordelia “Cordel” Tinto de Guarda, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
San Luis Potosi is in Central Mexico midway between Puerto Vallarta and Tampico. Making wine since 1948, Viña Cordelia has released a smoky wine reminiscent of Pinotage and many Pinot Noirs from Germany. Some chocolate-y notes in the flavor along with notes of ripe berries, and a rounder texture. It’s an intriguing wine, a blend of Malbec and Syrah, which finishes with a light tannic grip.
$38.99 per bottle
2022 Alebrino Tinto (Red Blend), Parras, Coahuila, Mexico
A red blend of traditional Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdo, the wine actually resembles an aged Bordeaux, developed beyond its years. Quite interesting. Coahuila is located east of Monterrey in north-central Mexico.
$33.99 per bottle
2023 El Bajio Viño Tinto Joven, Valle de Bernal, Mexico
The El Bajio project is a collaboration between the Spanish cava mega-producer Freixenet and the Mexican wine importer Las Competencia. Only when you have this kind of backing are you able to hire the kind of architecture firm that can create such a stunning winery as the Freixenet Mexican facility, and the winery is modern enough to be able to create this custom bottling which is only available in the U.S. market. The Valle de Bernal is located directly east of Guadelajaro at an elevation of around 7,000’, which makes it one of the highest vineyard areas in the world.
My impression when first sipping this wine, a rustic-styled Merlot-Malbec blend, was thinking it was a bit oxidized, as if the bottle had been opened a few days. Still, once tasted, the wine displayed a juicy character with bright acidity and framed by moderate tannin support. Kind of a New World-Old World ethos. Just 10.5% alcohol.
$18.99 per bottle
2021 Llano Colorado Cabernet Sauvignon “Suro 2.7”
Valle de San Vicente, Baja California, Mexico
The Llano Colorado Cabernet “Suro 2.7” is a solid effort, aged 12 months in oak barrels, which to me was tilting more toward a Bordeaux style than a California one. At 13.5% alcohol, it also is better suited to food than many of California’s top, ripe Cabernets are. Very fair price.
$23.99 per bottle
2019 Bodega Los Cedros “Tuma” Red Blend, Coahuila, Mexico
Coahuila is located just south of the Big Bend region of Texas and stretches south to Monterrey. Although the Davila family has owned this land for over 115 years, the first vines weren’t planted until 2009, with the first vintage harvested in 2012. This wine is an original blend of 40% Shiraz, 30% Malbec and 30% Cabernet, this dry, straightforward red doesn’t demand much of its user, except to uncork and enjoy it.
$31.99 per bottle