Viñas de Garza Winery Opens in Baja California, Mexico
'Vino-Tourism' by Steve Dryden
Seven years of hard work has led to the long awaited opening of a new vineyard estate and winery in Valle de Guadalupe, in northwestern Baja California, Mexico.
The winery, Viñas de Garza (Rancho Mogorcito), is the realization of a dream created by Amado Garza Vargas, his wife Ana Lilia, and their children. Situated atop a ridge overlooking Rancho Mogor Badan and the rural community of Tierra Santa, this winery is built of brick, large timbers and stone, with the terrace and patio surrounded by a stunning landscape covering the rolling hills of Mogorcito.
The Garzas have developed a remarkable homestead setting on 14 acres with a diverse collection of flowers, shrubs and trees that compliment the natural beauty of their vineyards and the majestic scenic vistas. And now they have one of the most romantic and ambient locations in the premier wine country of Baja California.
Carlos de la Parra, of Ensenada, organized a special wine tasting and lunch for some friends, including Laura Torres, Laura Wong and myself of the Baja Times. Ana Lilia Garza prepared a gourmet meal of rib-eye steak tortas, sun-dried tomatoes, baby potatoes, artisan olives, fig jam, bread and cheese. Lunch was graciously presented on their scenic patio overlooking the valley, right next to the large kitchen of their home.
Heating the patio on this cool fall evening were two vintage wood cook stoves adding to the ambiance of the rural farm setting.
The patio area can accommodate small intimate groups, as well as host large events, and it includes a rustic wine tasting bar. In addition there is another wine tasting bar within the wine cellar itself, offering a refreshing escape from the heat of summer days in the valley.
Amado Garza Vargas makes his own wine with some guidance from Hugo D'Acosta, a local winemaking consultant. Amado's winery holds ten large refrigerated stainless steel tanks and features a modern laboratory for analyzing and testing his wines. Having his own lab on site in the valley eliminates the need to drive to Ensenada for analysis, thus saving time and money.
The cava and warehouse are located a few yards from the winery, and they are filled with new and used American and French oak barrels. The first vintages of wine were created from grapes gathered during the harvest of 2006. The main varietals used here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Zinfandel, and Grenache.
His current production is 2,000 cases per year, with a future projected output of 3,000 cases maximum. This low production will allow for the creation of artisan, high-quality wine of great finesse, elegance and grace.
During our recent visit Amado proudly poured the group several vintages of his red wines on the patio, along with the gourmet lunch created by Ana Lilia. His 2006 Mogorcito Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend is excellent, enhanced by aging for one year in new French and American oak barrels.
The second wine presented was a remarkable blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and Tempranillo. This was a favorite among the women wine tasters, as it is softer than the first wine, yet provides complex flavors of fig, plum, blackberries, cherries and a hint of mocha.
Next we sampled the delightful 2007 Mogorcito Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend. This wine, which has been aging in both French and American oak barrels for about six months, has yet to be released. The structure of the wine is well balanced with soft tannins, berry and cherry flavors, followed by a hint of cocoa on the finish.
Amado's 2007 Colina Norte is dedicated to his wife, Ana Lilia. This wine is a unique blend of Tempranillo, Grenache and Carignan, a wine that is much like his wife: beautiful, classy, elegant, and sophisticated. The wine has complex flavors of mission fig, crushed plum, blackberry, boysenberry, roasted cherries and chocolate.
We finished the evening with a "grand finale" of 2007 Amado IV, an outstanding blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo and Zinfandel. Beautiful in color, currant on the nose, with licorice and blackberry, followed with fig, black cherry and plum skins.
Viñas de Garza is open to the public, with advance reservations only, at either mogorcito.ag@vinosdegarza.com, www.vinosdegarza.com or [52] 646-175-8883. The winery is located in the Valle de Guadalupe, near Km 87 on the Ensenada-Tecate Highway 3, about thirty minutes from the port of Ensenada.
For those who have been waiting for this winery to open, now is time to make reservations to discover excellent wine and to explore the romance and ambiance of an amazing hillside setting and vineyards. One important aspect of this winery is that Tres Mujeres (Three Women Winery) and Sol y Barro wineries are located right next door, thus making for a wonderful day of wine tasting and back country exploration.
Amado Garza Vargas and his family have something special to be very proud of — they have developed a beautiful vineyard estate and winery, plus they are creating truly good wines here in Mexico's premier wine country.
· For a Baja California Wine Route map, click on MexiData.info "Links" and go to "Mexico Maps and Time Zones"
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Steve Dryden is a wine, food and travel writer living in Valle de Guadalupe, in northwestern Baja California, where he guides private and small group wine tours. He can be reached at sbdryden@hotmail.com. Visit his new blog at www.winefoodguide.com.
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