BajaNomad - Review of Adobe Guadalupe and Hotel Hacienda Guadalupe: Added our notes on a few smaller wineries

Review of Adobe Guadalupe and Hotel Hacienda Guadalupe: Added our notes on a few smaller wineries

Santiago - 5-22-2012 at 12:41 PM

Hotel Hacienda Guadalupe http://www.haciendaguadalupehotel.com/about
$150/night double occupancy. They have about a dozen rooms and are very nice. Try to get the upstairs as the overlook of the valley is stunning. Far enough from the hiway to not be a bother, but you can hear the traffic. The restaurant is good (not Laja level but good) and the view from the outside dining area is great. Figure premium baja prices. The grounds are beautifully maintained and the owner seems to always be onsite. This will be our go-to place for staying in the valley when you have few extra bucks. Only issue is coffee is not available until 8:00am. Bring your own coffee maker if you're an early riser. Pool and spa with a nice sunning deck. Hiking trails right at the back of the hotel.

Adobe Guadalupe http://www.adobeguadalupe.com/en/

$190ish double occupancy, includes breakfast and a glass of wine. This needs to be on your bucket list, six rooms in a very private setting. The focus is inward, not outward like at the Hacienda Guadalupe, although the view from the pool area is nice. Breakfast in the kitchen is perfect: fresh OJ, fruits, salsas, and the huevos mexicana was the best I've ever had - the peppers and onions were very fresh and just aldente - perfecto. The chef was a 50ish matron who knew what she was doing. Coffee (Folgers) available at 7:00, just barely tolerable for me. The staff is very intuitive and caring - they have been trained very well. The owners live on in the same complex and it feels like you're a guest in someone's home; it has the lived in feel without feeling like you are intruding. The horsey set will love this as they have many horses available for riding. Absolutely must have reservations and you can not just drive up to take a look; a full time guard will not let you pass without reservations.

SWMBO and I have staid at the Fatima and the Posida and we probably will again; but if you have a little extra money to splurge on, you can't go wrong with either of these.

[Edited on 5-23-2012 by Santiago]

DENNIS - 5-22-2012 at 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Santiago
breakfast and a glass of wine.

Why not?

Gorgeous facilities, but...

thebajarunner - 5-22-2012 at 06:17 PM

One Christmas afternoon we drove around the area and visited both places. Each was lovely, both receptions were exceptionally rude.
Hacienda was having a private party (how were we supposed to know) and ordered us off the grounds.
Adobe lady had the flu, told us to get out off her porch and slammed the door in our faces. (Duhh, I should have known that she was ill and not bothered to visit)
So much for our good feelings about these places.
I guess our timing was unfortunate, but when one is in the hospitality biz you would think that a more gracious send off might be in order.

It's Been a Few Years Since Our Visit to Adobe Guadalupe

Gypsy Jan - 5-22-2012 at 07:17 PM

But we took some long time friends there when they "Braved the Baja" to visit us.

Lunch was not as advertised; the "Michelin-Starred-Swiss Chef' was not in residence.

The tour of the wine vault was conducted by the owner and he was condescending and argumentative with our wine aficionado friends when they asked him questions.

Beautiful property, but based on our experience, I have had no desire to return.

[Edited on 5-23-2012 by Gypsy Jan]

Santiago - 5-22-2012 at 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gypsy Jan
But we took some long time friends there when they "Braved the Baja" to visit us.

Lunch was not as advertised; the "Michelin-Starred-Swiss Chef' was not in residence.

The tour of the wine vault was conducted by the owner and he was condescending and argumentative with our wine aficionado friends when they asked him questions.

Beautiful property, but based on our experience, I have had no desire to return.

[Edited on 5-23-2012 by Gypsy Jan]

Can't say I blame you; they are French....... when we were there, it was a Sunday evening and we were the only ones
there and had the run of the place to ourselves.

[Edited on 5-23-2012 by Santiago]

Try this instead

bajaguy - 5-22-2012 at 07:47 PM

Joe and Rachael Malagon are great hosts and are very friendly. I suggest the next time you want an outstanding wine country experience, try this:

http://www.vinedosmalagon.com/Vinedos-Malagon-Home.html

goldhuntress - 5-22-2012 at 09:06 PM

Sounds really nice. Did you try any good wine? I have not been impressed with Mexican wine so far, and I've done a lot of tasting. I also think it's over priced. But, I think it will evolve and so I'll keep trying and hopefully find something decent priced and delish. Just wondering if you found any gems while you were there.

Santiago - 5-23-2012 at 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by goldhuntress
Sounds really nice. Did you try any good wine? I have not been impressed with Mexican wine so far, and I've done a lot of tasting. I also think it's over priced. But, I think it will evolve and so I'll keep trying and hopefully find something decent priced and delish. Just wondering if you found any gems while you were there.

You know, I've hesitated to post our "tasting notes", a list of the places we visited and what we thought about them on the drive home Monday after three days in the valley. We are not oenophiles, to put it mildly; but are daily wine drinkers and stay in the $5/bottle range.

This trip we focused on small producers with the exception of Monte Xanic as we had not been before. We really had a good time talking with the various wine makers and vineyard owners and came to some conclusions and thoughts:

1. The styles of wine are changing; everyone is blending now (we found only two 100% varietals) and there is a lot of local competition to create a cab/grenache that's better than before. The move away from sweet to bone dry is in full rush. I believe that within 5 years, someone is going to produce a blend actually worth the $200-$400 peso price they ask for. Here in California, I've always thought that winery prices were too high also - I can often get it at my local mega mart for a third less than winery prices.

2. Ask for the winemaker's recommendation on where else to visit; we found two wonderful small producers, Tres Mujeres and Sol y Barro that way. One of the women at Tres Mujeres has been making wine in the valley for over 35 years and the 'label' is a gold sharpie that she signs the bottle with, including the blend. At $200 pesos ($14 at current exchange rate) it would be comparable to what I would find at my local wineries in the Sierra Nevada foothills - but the experience of standing in a small cava and listening to her story is not to be missed.

3. The owner and wine maker at Tres Valles is extremely knowledgeable; he imports wine making equipment, sells to local producers and comes to the Wine Expo every year in Sacramento where he visits with his winemaker friends from UC Davis. He admits to a large beer brewing subculture in the valley. I gave him a bottle of scotch-style ale that my brother-in-law makes and this really got us talking.

4. The wine tasting crowd over the weekend was mostly young people in their 20s. They are drinking dry reds, holding the glass to the light, inhaling the 'nose', talking about the differences between the blends, etc. The wine makers say that the young people are becoming educated drinkers and that this forces them into making a better product.

5. Everyone in the business, especially the young people, seem excited about what is happening in the valley; there are two-three year old vines everywhere. Micro climates are being argued over. If you take the road past Dona Lupe until you can't drive any more - little valleys open up and are completely planted to the cliff sides - all owned by L.A. Chetto we were told. You cannot see this stuff from the Hiway 3. The grapes being grown at the west end of the valley are 15 miles from this point and at least 500' lower in elevation. I doubt they get near as much nighttime marine layer.

6. All the wineries charge for tasting; from a low of $70 to a high of $150 pesos with $100 being average. This usually is 4 wines, maybe 3, maybe 5. The pour is too much, we guess that a 4-taste is a full glass, maybe a bit more. I would prefer a smaller taste of their full compliment and then credit the tasting charge if you buy at least 2 bottles; but so far no one seems to be doing this. Also, no case discounts which is marketed very strongly in the wineries where I live; 20-30% off is typical. Next time, I will ask marketing strategy to see if this is changing at all.

7. If the tasting personnel were not the owner/winemaker, then they were young, vibrant, knew exactly what was in the bottle (even if it might seem memorized) and loved their work. An example of this was at Emeve; the young lady had lived for most of her childhood in Phoenix, moved back to the mainland and came to the valley 18 months ago for a vacation and never left. Since she spoke good English, they hired and trained her in tasting – even going so far as washing the glass out with a swirl of the next pour instead of water “because the water leaves minerals that change the taste of the wine”. We spent and entire hour just sitting on the front porch, eating cheese and drinking wine – no one else came by. She told me that the el jefe of the vineyard was starting to train her in viticulture and that some day she could run the vineyard. She said that the old man told her that times were changing and it would be just fine for a woman to be the head of the growing operation.

8. Change or die: JC Bravo is an example of this. Numerous small producers said we needed to go there. The owner grew grapes in the 1990s, selling them to Domeneq but lost this business to grape juice from Argentina. He grew two varieties, Palomino, a white and Carignan, a red and decided to start making wine from these two varieties. The palomino is mediocre but the carignan is pretty darn good. The owner’s son (we think) lives in San Diego and drives here each weekend to help in the tasting room. Very ranch-feel operation as they come from that side of the business. He dry farms, by the way, so the production from the carignan, normally a prolific producer, is held down and the flavors are intensified. At $200p, might be the best buy we ran across.

9. Everyone said we had to try Monte Xanic and we did. A large, very modern operation producing maybe the best and most consistent of the large producers. Lots of medals from this winery. The tasting room was small and night-clubby; not our cup-of-tea and clearly not their main marketing outlet. They obviously are making good wine in large quantities and shipping them all over the place. In our view, better than L.A. Chetto. Good picnic spot as they have a large pond and are high enough up to see the rest of the valley.

10. The wine map handed out is nearly useless – pretty much puts you within a mile or so and from then you’re on your own. But since we had 3 days, it was fun just to poke around. One thing that surprised us was that people on one side of the valley may not even know of, or at least have not visited wineries from other parts.

All these opinions are just that, our personal opinions from the weekend we went from a couple of people who hate the Napa valley scene, just too foo-foo for us. We especially like small producers, folks whose hobby has gotten a little out of hand. Is the average Guadalupe wine going to be really, really good? No, but since we are happy with decent box wine, the bar’s not that high.

Bajahowodd - 5-23-2012 at 04:24 PM

"You know, I've hesitated to post our "tasting notes", a list of the places we visited and what we thought about them on the drive home Monday after three days in the valley. We are not oenophiles, to put it mildly; but are daily wine drinkers and stay in the $5/bottle range."

Geez. I thought they only had boxed wine up there where you live!
:lol:

Sorry. Just couldn't resist. And seriously, I thank you for the post.

goldhuntress - 5-24-2012 at 06:45 AM

Thanks Santiago, I think going wine tasting in the valley is really fun and a great experience, even if the wine isn't great. I've been to the big wine festival there a few times and had a blast, Tango night being one of my favorites. I hope to get back there after summer again for a couple days and check out some wineries I've never been to. You mentioned you are happy with a box wine. Consumer Reports recommends a cab/shiraz blend at Target called Wine Cube. Never tried it myself, I'm open though. Thanks for the post.