WTN: Seis Vinos

[Jenise]

From an in-store tasting, and all from mostly tiny producers in the Valle de Guadalupe between Ensenada and Tiajuana in Baja California and imported by Patrick Neri of Anacortes, Washington. His business is booming: demand for these wines in the U.S. outstrips his relatively small allocations. While we were there, he took calls from restuarants in San Diego and Chicago--quality's high, prices are low, and people want these wines.

2023 Dominio de las Abejas Vino Naranja Baja California White Blend
This producer, for instance, only makes four wines and has a total production of only 1200 cases annually. Cloudy straw yellow color; a blend of chardonnay, sauv blanc, columbard, marsanne and viognier from a vineyard at 2000 ft elevation that used to be a bird sanctuary and as such has soil nutrients unlike anything in the surrounding area. Unfiltered with extended skin contact, it offers intriguing lavender, apple and white grapefruit notes with a slightly waxy texture. Alcohol only 12%. I was so enchanted I bought several. $30 retail.

2023 Villa Montefiori Sangiovese Paoloni Valle de Guadalupe
A delightfully pretty pale pink rose.

2022 Monte Xanic Calixa Blend Valle de Guadalupe Red Blend
Very en-pointe 80/20 blend of cabernet and syrah, and both grapes show well in my little tasting pour. Great QPR for $24, and I bought some.

2021 Descendientes de Charles Martinez Ensemble de la Familia Valle de Ojos Negros Red Blend
40% malbec and 30% each cabernet and syrah. Medium red fruit about which I only wrote down "not floral or candied" which apparently came from my general aversion to Malbec. I didn't write anything else, but I did buy a bottle so that's a compliment in itself.

2022 Solar Fortun Cabernet Sauvignon Baya Baya Valle de Guadalupe
'Baya' means 'berry', and there's a lot of berry here. Unfortunately, also too much salinity for my tastes. $26

2022 Santos Brujos Chardonnay Valle de Guadalupe
Very nice chardonnay, seems unwooded, good varietal character and balance. $28.

[David M. Bueker]

Very interesting!

I really want to try that Cabernet so that I can understand what too much salinity means to you, and how it would translate to my palate.

[Jenise]

Let me put it this way: salinity, in moderation can be interesting. It's certainly a trademark of Sonoma Coast pinots and as such very acceptable to me. This just tasted like someone put salt in my glass. Mind you, it and all the other bottles had only just been opened. It's possible that the salinity was forward because the rest of the bouquet hadn't bloomed yet, and with time it would have come into better balance. But it wasn't present in any of the other wines, I must hasten to add.

[David M. Bueker]

My perception may be 180 degrees different. That's why I am so curious.

[David M. Bueker]

FWIW, I just had the most saline infused wine I have ever tasted, a white from Orixe Sotelo. Loved it, but really needed oysters.

[Jenise]

And that would work. I'm definitely tolerant of that feature in minerally whites. But imagine the red wine, cabernet no less, where you take your first sip and go "Whoa! That's salty!"--I mean its your first and only impression. Pretty unusual.