5 Takeaways from Guadalupe Valley
Throughout 2023, numerous stories appeared in national media outlets announcing Mexico’s Guadalupe Valley as “the next Napa Valley.” Or Guadalupe as “Mexico’s Napa Valley.”
In one of those annual reader survey pieces, it finished a close second to Walla Walla.
Travel articles with a romantic getaway theme or wine country destination focus were common. A google search for Guadalupe Valley wines will show dozens of travel suggestions, tours tips, tour packages, tour guides and itineraries featuring wineries and culinary recommendations.
Located about 60 miles south of the US border, or just over an hour’s drive from San Diego, Guadalupe’s wine route has come alive with new wineries, new resorts, boutique hotels, and trendy restaurants. Wine-related income in Guadalupe Valley hovers around $200 million a year.
No longer flying under the radar, Guadalupe Valley secured international recognition in late 2022 by hosting the 43rd annual World congress of vines. Many of its wines win awards and medals in various annual wine competitions. With only 25 wineries existing before 2005, Guadalupe is now home to 150+ wineries, 100 restaurants, 92 hotels and boutiques, and 12 taco stands. A few sources now say there are over 180 wineries.
Regarding viticulture, Guadalupe Valley is a real anomaly. Standard logic in all textbooks maintains that wine grapes should only be grown within the 30 to 50 latitude. Guadalupe is located at the 21-22 degree latitude and there are over 10,000 acres planted to a wide range of vinifera varieties.
Defying logic, the mantra in Guadalupe is that it is all about altitude, not latitude. Located at elevations from 500 to 2000 feet above sea level, most vineyards benefit from cooling breezes from the Pacific on one side and the Sea of Cortez on the other. With wide diurnal swings during the summertime, the climate is basically Mediterranean. Or “best described as Mediterranean” as one winemaker explained because being dry and desert-like, it doesn’t fit into any neat category.
So after postponing a planned visit due to covid, I finally visited this much talked about wine valley in Northern Baja. Research before the visit entailed reading many of the feature stories and, of course, tasting as many Guadalupe wines that were available during my stay in Cabo San Lucas.
My vinous version of the Baja 1000 began by departing the totally screwed up city of Tijuana in a crappy rental car that barely made it out of town. Later in the day we were welcomed to Guadalupe by rain that challenged the car’s wipers. That’s right, rain in Guadalupe Valley is about as common as rain in the Sahara.
That rain was a great omen or set up for a series of unexpected experiences that followed when visiting wineries, tasting wines, and getting a feel for this most unusual wine region. The rain made the sandy roads to the wineries even more challenging to navigate with deep potholes filled with water along with rocks and a few chickens. But holding on tight to the wheel we visited the region. What follows are takeaways from five wineries that capture the uniqueness of Guadalupe as not only an emerging wine destination but also an exciting wine producing region.
“This can’t be Nebbiolo,” I tactfully mentioned to the Vinedos Malagon hostess. It was deep garnet, concentrated, with ripe flavors and some tannin. She brought over the bottle and yes it was Nebbiolo. I shouldn’t have been so surprised since the previous wine was Malagon’s Grenache, also unusually rich. She explains that the winery has access to Grenache planted by Russian immigrants in the 1940s. That’s right, the vines are at least 70 years old. And as for Nebbiolo, it was said to be brought into Guadalupe long ago but identity tags were never found to verify its DNA. Well, that was my first visit.
#1 Takeaway: Prepare for Guadalupe wines that aren’t typical and for wines made from odd, old varieties, old vines.
Malagon was founded in 1997 when only a dozen wineries were operating in Guadalupe and very few wine varieties besides Grenache and Nebbiolo were planted. Pedro Domecq opened a winery in 1972 but like many of the distillers who arrived earlier, it favored Palomino and Colombard in the early years. Also in the 1970s Jim Concannon and others from California visited and introduced then popular varieties such as Chenin Blanc, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Barbera, Cabernet, Carignane, and the once popular Ruby Cabernet. The latter variety is a key component in Domecq’s XA red and Petite Sirah is one of Cetto’s most popular and attractive wines.
Today the Valley’s wineries reflect a balance of an international cast of characters and local families. Those established varieties attracted foreign investors such as the Henri Lurton Medoc family. It seems telling that Bodegas Henri Lurton’s flagship wines from Guadalupe are Nebbiolo and Chenin Blanc.
Next stop was Casa Magoni whose wines I had enjoyed prior to the visit. In the new tasting room, white wines were first offered and they were not the typical blends. Magoni poured a Chardonnay and Fiano blend named “Manaz.” Also, another white brings together Chardonnay and Vermentino which is just as impressive. Among the reds, the Sangiovese-Cabernet is excellent, but the most unusual tasted was labeled Origen 43 which combines Montepulciano, Aglianico, Canaiolo, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon. All those varieties were established 16 years ago. But, of course, Magoni makes a Nebbiolo which is excellent.
Turns out that Camillo Magoni, who studied Enology and Viticulture degree from the Enologica a Di Alba in Piedmont, Italy was invited by the Cetto winery to work in the cellars. After 40 years he left to establish Casa Magoni where he introduced many Italian varieties as well as others from France. Today with more than 100 different grape varieties on 278 hectares, this is the largest experimental vineyard in Guadalupe and all of Mexico.
#2 Takeaway
Today with over 100 wine varieties being grown, some of Guadalupe’s finest wines are rare combinations and unique blends. There’s the Red from SantoTomas that is made from 34% Mission, 33% Tempranillo, and 33% Carignan. I love Emerve’s “Isabella” which brings together Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier in a bright, full bodied style. El Cielo’s 2020 Blanc de Blancs consists of Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc with a good dose of Palomino and Chardonnay.
So be prepared to encounter wines with fanciful proprietary names derived from the planets, the stars, children, family pets, nicknames, whatever.
Moving on, I finally visited a new winery unknown to me but one I drove by several times: Emerve.
Many of the new wineries are locally owned and started by home winemakers or by cellar workers moving on after apprenticing at one of the big wineries. That door opened In 2004-2005 when Hugo D’Acosta who studied at Montpellier, France, and the Agrarian University of Turin, Italy, organized La Escuelita, a school teaching local farmers and families the fundamentals of winemaking and cellar procedures. The school also functions today as a cooperative, providing the necessary equipment to growers and future winemakers to make wine.
Today, Emerve, which was one of those wineries, draws from 18 ha and produces around 5,000 cases a year. In addition to a lovely Rose of Cabernet, Emerve is best known for its proprietary blends. “Isabella” brings together Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier mentioned earlier. There’s a red Bordeaux named “Los Nietos” and another red blend, “Armonia de Tintos,” a blend of Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah and Cabernet Franc. That cuvee was aged for 8 months in a combination of French and Hungarian oak. It is much more than a simple red. And just for a little variation there’s a 100% Shiraz that’s bottle aged for 5 years before its release.
#3 Takeaway
While the top 3 wineries of Cetto, Santo Thomas, and Bodegas Pedro Domecq produce 80% of wines from Guadalupe Valley, there are 100 or more small family owned businesses offering a wide variety of high quality wines. And the wines are often unique.
Next up in my learning journey, Casta de Vinos
Whether it was sheer luck or fate, my visit to Casta was truly eye opening. Opened in 2010, Casta is an authentic mom & Pop family winery with Sergio Castañeda as owner/winemaker and Claudia, his wife, as director. With an annual output of 4,500 cases, Casta makes 12 wines, 10 red. The 2018 “Domina,” a 100% Merlot exudes charm in an elegant style, and the 2019 “Cirio,” a Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvedre blend is big with multi- layered flavors. “Casta Tinta, “ a Bordeaux blend, could easily be mistaken for a young Medoc. Another amazing accomplishment, the 2020 Syrah is heavenly and stylishly refined for a young Syrah. I also liked the Petit Verdot. Clearly, the winemaking is top notch and shows a subtle use of small oak and tannin management that makes this one a genuine superstar.
#4 Takeaway
Not only are there many new wineries, Guadalupe is a paradise for anyone who loves to explore and discover previously unknown wineries. Or one that opened the week earlier.
Tuscany also has a strong foothold here thanks to the Paoloni family. Born in Tuscany, Paolo Paoloni left his post as an Enologist at the Perugia University to manage the Valle Redondo wine company in Aguascalientes, Mexico. After several years with Valle Redondo, Paoloni purchased 38 hectares in the Toros Pintos section of the Valle de Guadalupe.
If anyone doubts the uniqueness of Guadalupe, well the wines that were presented at the Paoloni/Villa Montefiori winery will erase all doubts. First came the dramatic 2020 “Ross del Valle” made from 100% Montepulciano with amazing concentration. It is the first mono-Montepulciano from Mexico. Even more exciting was the 2019 Nebbiolo, a dark colored, deeply flavored version, aged for 15 months in French oak. Then the house speciality is Nero d’Avola, and the 2018 aged 12 months in oak is stunning for its depth and layers of flavors.
#5 Takeaway
Located on a steep hillside, Paoloni’s vineyards look beautifully maintained, indicating that grape growing here is as good as anywhere. Overall, the yields work out to be slim by Napa’s standards, estimated as between 1.2 to 2 tons per acre. With little water available, irrigation is not excessive with many vines being dry farmed.
I heard during my visit and have also read that farming practices are moving toward sustainability and organic methods. Carrodilla is said to be the first certified organic and biodynamic vineyard in Mexico. More recently, Santos Brujos which makes a lovely Tempranillo has earned its stars as a certified biodynamic vineyard.
So, I’ll stop here after noting that despite what you may be thinking, Guadalupe Valley wines are showing up in more and more US markets. That was reinforced a few weeks ago when looking over the shelves of Desert Wine, a small retailer in Palm Desert, there were several Paoloni wines and a few others.
Thankfully, in 2024 you might not have to travel along those bad dirt roads to explore Guadalupe Valley wines. Check out the list of wineries available and which states they are sold in at La Competencia Imports in Napa, Same goes for Tozi Imports on the East Coast, Nossa Imports in Arizona and Beso imports in Washington. LMA imports in San Diego specializes in wholesale to restaurants.
And one more thing about those rough, unpaved roads: don’t expect any improvements soon. Arguing that bad roads attract good tourists and good roads will appeal to the loud, rude, sloppy wine drinkers who will ruin the character of the Valley, a powerful resistance group has been organized to control growth.
In other words, they don’t want Guadalupe to become the “next Napa Valley,”
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