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bajaguy
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Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Guadalupe Valley
Easiest way is to take the toll road towards Ensenada. After the Ensenada toll booth look for the Hwy 3 (Tecate/Route de Vino) ) turn off. Follow Hwy
3 to the first stoplight.....this is San Antonio de las Minas.
Stop in one of the stores and buy a map of the wine route, or print this:
http://www.bajabound.com/events/winecountrymap.php
Also stop at the wine museum if it is open
| Quote: | Originally posted by huesos
So, starting in La Mision, where can I drive ti taste some of these better red wines? |
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Santiago
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The line up:
[img] [/img]
OK - we started the arduous task of tasting the different wines we had shipped to us from Monte Xanic via Vinofrommexico.com.
Last night was the Calixa Chard ($18) that Hook liked - maybe one of the best un-oaked Chards we have in a long time. The last Baja white we had was
3 or 4 years ago and we were not holding our breath. Proof is that SWMBO had 3 out of the 5 glasses we get out of a 750 ml bottle and believe me,
that doesn't happen very often. My youngest son, who is in his red-only-wine-snob phase even was impressed.
The price point is too high; you should be able to score this wine for under $10 at a sale. For example, last week Costco had Toasted Head for under
$7.
Tonight will be the Chenin Colombard; we'll skip the Rose, saving it for the first warm day of Spring, and on to the reds.
FYI: a case, with tax and shipping, rounded to about $23/bottle.
Stay tuned.
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Santiago
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Hmmmmmm, somebody at Mt Xanic knows what they're doing. The Chenin Colombard blend is very well balanced; just enough of the fruit from the chenin
blanc to balance the acidity so it doesn't come across as too sweet. This will be a good afternoon wine on a warm day.
I won't comment on the price anymore; it is what it is.
By the way, there was sticker on the bottle indicating this was a silver award winner at the Wine Master Challenge of 2012 held in Portugal.
But, it's well made; I just preferred the Chard.
Beef loin tonight so at least one of the reds later.
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Hook
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Most any wine can get a medal at SOME competition. There are just so many now.
What is that Rosada? Is it a grenache rosé?
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Santiago
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Yes, rose of Grenache.
So-so on the Cab blend, maybe a year or two will even it out. No tanins to speak of. Might as well have been drinking a $6 Merlot from Safeway. A very
slight off after taste, not of us could identify it. Good, deep color. I'm stretching here, as you can see.
Am looking forward to the cab/syrah; I've had some somewhere in Baja that I really liked, just can't remember where.
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Santiago
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Well, the Cab/Syrah was a hit. Raves all around. Served with some pretty strong cheeses and held it's own.
50/50 blend and the color ran to very dark (syrah) but the cab nicely smoothed it out. Once again, no tannins, a bit perhaps, but smooth is the
strong overlay. This is worth getting, good job all around.
I suspect that the wine makers know who their market is and are blending to that. No real surprise here, but they will need to step up one notch to
really get us.
[Edited on 12-27-2013 by Santiago]
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bajaguy
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Meeting the Enologist
If you let me know when you will be in Ensenada, I might be able to set up a meeting or two, and introduce you to the Enologist for Monte
Xanic......I'm sure SHE would love to talk wine with you.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Santiago
Well, the Cab/Syrah was a hit. Raves all around. Served with some pretty strong cheeses and held it's own.
50/50 blend and the color ran to very dark (syrah) but the cab nicely smoothed it out. Once again, no tannins, a bit perhaps, but smooth is the
strong overlay. This is worth getting, good job all around.
I suspect that the wine makers know who their market is and are blending to that. No real surprise here, but they will need to step up one notch to
really get us.
[Edited on 12-27-2013 by Santiago] |
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Hook
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How much did that cab/syrah blend cost?
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Santiago
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BG: That'll be fun. I'm more interested in the business side - I just don't understand who is buying the wine at these $.
Hook: $20 or there-about. Since you asked, in a competitive free world market, they would get around $10-$14. Under $10 at TW from time-to-time. Go
figure....
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Santiago
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By the way, the answer to my befuddled confusion on the selling and marketing may be as close as many of our local wineries. They are not available
in stores, can be had at local resturants (local sourcing is all the rage) and only at the winery - they sell out every year. And at $15-$25 each.
Maybe this is what happens in Guadalupe? If so, I don't see it. Up here, when you go wine tasting, nearly everyone is buying a case or two to take
home from 4 or 5 wineries that day. The trunk is full.
In the valley, I see lots of family and friends tasting, having a day out of it, piknikiting, but not many actually buying bottles to take home.
Maybe the DF is a big market?
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bajaguy
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Hey, brother, I don't know..........but what I do know is when we go to the Valle, I try and leave my VISA card at home. My wife is a big fan of
buying cases of wine....just in case of a ________ (insert man-made or mother nature catstrophic event here).....and I'm not the only one. PS: Roganto
only sells by the case.......COSTCO could do a great business in selling livers....mine is almost worn out.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Santiago
By the way, the answer to my befuddled confusion on the selling and marketing may be as close as many of our local wineries. They are not available
in stores, can be had at local resturants (local sourcing is all the rage) and only at the winery - they sell out every year. And at $15-$25 each.
Maybe this is what happens in Guadalupe? If so, I don't see it. Up here, when you go wine tasting, nearly everyone is buying a case or two to take
home from 4 or 5 wineries that day. The trunk is full.
In the valley, I see lots of family and friends tasting, having a day out of it, piknikiting, but not many actually buying bottles to take home.
Maybe the DF is a big market? |
[Edited on 12-28-2013 by BajaNomad]
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Hook
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Well, it's tough to cross a border with a case of wine.
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bajaguy
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The one liter per person only applies to people with California drivers licenses and California vehicle registrations....if you have oh, say South
Dakota DL and veh reg, CBP will allow you to bring across a "personal consumption" (2 - 3 cases) amount
| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
Well, it's tough to cross a border with a case of wine. |
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Santiago
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
Hey, brother, I don't know..........but what I do know is when we go to the Valle, I try and leave my VISA card at home. My wife is a big fan of
buying cases of wine....just in case of a ________ (insert man-made or mother nature catstrophic event here).....and I'm not the only one. PS: Roganto
only sells by the case.......COSTCO could do a great business in selling livers....mine is almost worn out.
[Edited on 12-28-2013 by BajaNomad] |
Hey, the next time your wife goes crazy with the plastic at the wineries, remind her that once she and her friend in the back of my pickup were
drinking boxed Pinot Grigio using the bottom 3" of cut off plastic water bottles as the 'glass'. The only redeeming characteristic of that stuff was
that it was cold and wet.
Very interesting that Roganto only sells by the case (I've never been). What do they make and how much would a case go for?
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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After a tough day of whale watching anything tastes good. Lucky she used a "glass".
Roganto has a 2011 offering called Piccolo. It is advertised as a red house wine, of "ensamble varietal that goes with anything"....whatever that
means. A case of 12 runs about 1800 pesos and since we are at about 13:1
looks like it is time to grab another case.
It is an interesting place. Their "production facility" is in a semi industrial area, near the Fender Guitar factory. Think they buy grapes from
several sources and process them.....and they only sell by the case.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Santiago
| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
Hey, brother, I don't know..........but what I do know is when we go to the Valle, I try and leave my VISA card at home. My wife is a big fan of
buying cases of wine....just in case of a ________ (insert man-made or mother nature catstrophic event here).....and I'm not the only one. PS: Roganto
only sells by the case.......COSTCO could do a great business in selling livers....mine is almost worn out.
[Edited on 12-28-2013 by BajaNomad] |
Hey, the next time your wife goes crazy with the plastic at the wineries, remind her that once she and her friend in the back of my pickup were
drinking boxed Pinot Grigio using the bottom 3" of cut off plastic water bottles as the 'glass'. The only redeeming characteristic of that stuff was
that it was cold and wet.
Very interesting that Roganto only sells by the case (I've never been). What do they make and how much would a case go for? |
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Hook
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
The one liter per person only applies to people with California drivers licenses and California vehicle registrations....if you have oh, say South
Dakota DL and veh reg, CBP will allow you to bring across a "personal consumption" (2 - 3 cases) amount
| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
Well, it's tough to cross a border with a case of wine. |
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Yeah, tell that to the two CPB agents when I showed up with my SD plated car and SD DL. No go, they said. I was asking a theoretical question to them;
I did not have cases of wine.
But no matter. I cant imagine bringing cases of wine FROM Mexico, anyway. Even if the M.X. wines are all good, their price point will be beaten by
many wines at Total Wine or Wine Exchange.
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Santiago
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
But no matter. I cant imagine bringing cases of wine FROM Mexico, anyway. Even if the M.X. wines are all good, their price point will be beaten by
many wines at Total Wine or Wine Exchange. |
Totes magotes.
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Hook
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Santiago, what vintage was that cab/syrah mix you had? I just bought a 2011 at Walmart but I cant read the year on your bottle.
I'll try mine in a few days. It was in the low 200s, I believe, price wise.
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bajaguy
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CBP info
I have known people who have printed this out and crossed with up to three mixed cases (12 bottles each) of wine and presented it to the CBP
booth...non-SENTRI lanes, and crossed with no problems, but again, it is up to the individual officer
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/212
There is no federal limit on the amount of alcohol someone may import into the U.S. for personal use, however, large quantities might raise the
suspicion that the importation is for commercial purposes, and a CBP Officer could require you to obtain an Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
(TTB) import license before releasing it.
| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
The one liter per person only applies to people with California drivers licenses and California vehicle registrations....if you have oh, say South
Dakota DL and veh reg, CBP will allow you to bring across a "personal consumption" (2 - 3 cases) amount
| Quote: | Originally posted by Hook
Well, it's tough to cross a border with a case of wine. |
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Yeah, tell that to the two CPB agents when I showed up with my SD plated car and SD DL. No go, they said. I was asking a theoretical question to them;
I did not have cases of wine. |
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