Mexican wine profesionals
Some wine producing companies in detail
Who are they and what type of wines do they produce ?
Domecq
Brandy production, in fact, has led a number of larger companies to invest in Mexico, including the wine and spirits giant Allied Domecq. Domecq is most known to Mexicans for brandy, but also makes several brands of wine at different price points and in a variety of styles, including blends, single varietal wines, and kosher wines. Chateau Domecq is their premium label; the wines include an unusual blend of Nebbiolo and Merlot as well as a Sauvignon Blanc-based white wine. The Spanish cava producer Freixenet has also invested in Mexican wine and is a major player in the Querétaro area, where they produce the sparkling wines you’d expect as well as some still wines. The high altitude in this winegrowing region insures surprisingly cool nights (even visiting in summer I found I had inadequately packed for the evenings) that preserve the high acidity that’s necessary for making good sparklers.
L.A. Cetto
The other large-scale producer is L.A. Cetto, named after its Italian founder Don Angelo Cetto who emigrated from Piedmont in the 1920s. They are the biggest wine producer in Mexico, and differ from Domecq in many ways. They are family-owned, with 1,200 hectares of vineyards in the Guadalupe Valley as well as a further 1,600 in Sonora; Domecq purchases all its grapes instead of owning their own vineyards. L.A. Cetto has three major levels of wine: commercial blends, a single varietal series, and their “Limited Reserve.” In addition to the more usual varietals they also sell Chenin Blanc, Malbec, and Tempranillo wines, the Californian specialties of Zinfandel and Petite Syrah, and finally some wines that acknowledge their Italian heritage – a Limited Reserve Nebbiolo and a Passito dessert wine (made from dried grapes). Between them Domecq and L.A. Cetto account for about 80% of Mexico’s yearly production of 1.6 million cases, and both companies export about 40% of their wine.
Smaller producers
There are also a growing number of smaller producers, including a number worthy of the “boutique wine” moniker. These companies have provided the push that began the great leap forward for Mexican wines at the beginning of the 1990s. Founded in 1987, Monte Xanic is a leader on the market and has won numerous prizes for its wines; they concentrate on Bordeaux varietals and Chardonnay – clearly shooting for the center of the wine world. They also produce a trio of Chenin Blanc bottlings – a late harvest, a reserva, and a Colombard blend - in a tribute to the Loire Valley. Their second label is Calixa, which releases wines aimed more at everyday drinking.
Chateau Camou has similar Bordelaise aspirations – they cite Chateau Margaux as a role model, although the winery building also acknowledges owner Ernesto Alvarez-Morphy’s belief in his native culture with its traditional Mexican adobe design. His winemaker is the Bordeaux-trained Victor Torres, who with Alvarez-Morphy’s investment has turned some old and unkempt vineyards and winery into a state-of-the-art facility. In addition to their Merlot and Cabernet-based blends, they also give a nod to their neighbor to the north with a Fumé Blanc and a Chardonnay.
Within Baja the primary winery sourcing grapes from outside the Guadalupe Valley is the Bodegas de Santo Tomás. Originally part of the Mission of Saint Thomas Aquinas, it became a commercial winery in 1888, which makes it the oldest in Baja. They have halved their output in the past thirty years as they concentrate their energies on quality over quantity, and, working together with the Wente winery in Livermore Valley, California, recently released what they call a NAFTA wine, Duetto. Their winemaker, Hugo D’Acosta, also owns Casa de Piedra, which produces limited amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo, 80% of which they sell privately en primeur.
Cavas Valmar – the New Blood
The husband-and-wife team Fernando and Yolanda Martain founded this winery in Ensenada after meeting and working together at Bodegas de Santo Tomás. Yolanda’s father Don Federico Valentin hailed from the Alps region of France, and had used the ranch to make wines for his home; the winery began selling their wines commercially in 1985. Although they started with a mish-mash of grapes - Palomino, Ugni-Blanc, and Moscatel, for whites, Grenache and a mix of Italian varietals for reds – they are now focusing on specific varietals; for example, sourcing grapes for an old-vine Chenin Blanc from the Valle de las Palmas. For reds they make a Cabernet Sauvignon with grapes from the Guadalupe and San Vincente Valleys and a Tempranillo from the San Vicente Valley.
The latter is a particularly big wine, rich with stewy fruits and toasty wood. They still buy their grapes from local growers, but recently purchased about eight hectares, which they are planting with Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. Their push for quality is proceeding in the vineyard and the winery, and about 20% of their wines are exported to the U.S., primarily California and Texas.
Casa Madero – Reviving the Legacy
Casa Madero is the grand old man of Mexican wine – actually, of the entire New World. Somewhat ironically, it is not in Baja, but in the Parras Valley in the northeastern state of Coahuila. This area was first chosen for settlement and winegrowing because of its water; mountain springs emerge here that create an oasis for man and vine alike, and the altitude – 5,000 feet above sea-level- keeps temperatures from becoming extreme. Founded in 1597 as the San Lorenzo winery, it was bought by the current owner José Milmo’s great-grandfather Don Evaristo Madero in 1893. In the 1970s the Milmo family began replanting their vineyards, replacing grapes normally used in brandy production with Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. They have since had to replant again, as the AxR1 rootstock they used previously fell under the onslaught of phylloxera. They now have about 485 hectares of vines, planted with a mix of varietals.
Milmo is keen to break out from the “Mexican Wine” label, and actively markets his wines towards the restaurant market. Available in the U.S. are three estate bottlings of Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon; a line of reserve wines and a superpremium red Bordeaux blend from their new vineyard in Zacatecas are planned for the near future. The estate Chardonnay “Vino Blanco Cepa” was my favorite of the current release of estate wines; it balanced Californian and Burgundian styles with some pineapple and lemon zest notes matched by minerals and slate. Oak aging was used thoughtfully, adding some smoke and vanilla, with a surprisingly crisp and refreshing finish. Casa Madero continues to make brandies as well, and their reserve line is considered to be head-and-shoulders above the competition in Mexico.
Source: Wines Down Mexico Way by Jim Clarke
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