GUD BLOG: SINGLE POST
Mexico: Corona or… Cabernet?
I’ve had the good fortune of getting a few bottles of Mexican wine over the past couple years. It’d be easy to wonder from afar if the vino wouldn’t be better served with a wedge of lime. But the burgeoning industry is actually producing some good stuff. I’ve got some tasting notes on a few wines, each from the Guadalupe Valley in/near Baja and each much better than I’d ever have expected.
2002 Nebbiolo Reserva Privada, L.A. Cetto (ABV: 14%, Grape: Nebbiolo) – There’s a whole way of thinking that makes sports talk radio and a great deal of science fiction “go.” That is, the idea that you can transplant a person or a thing from one time or place to another — and actually predict the consequences. That’s bullocks, of course, and this wine is proof of it. Transplanting any grape to Mexico of all places would seem to spell certain doom: Kind of like plopping the Death Start into the middle of Star Trek. But all conventional wisdom turned out to be wrong. This absolutely teems with Mediterranean flavors, oozing with the fruits of Southern France, the boldness of Spain, and the elegant acidity of Italy. Initially a bit jammy, it opened up to reveal hints of earth and game. Delicious all around. Perhaps Captains Picard and Sisko would have had a shot against Darth Vader after all. Tasted 3/22/2008.
2007 Adobe Guadalupe, Serafiel (ABV: 13.4%, Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, others) – Fresh mashed cranberry, lavender, and small amounts of pepper on the nose. Starts with a grape sweetness that’s wiped away by an astringency and some soft tannins. Remarkably elegant, drinkable, balanced dry wine. Tasted 3/1/2010.
2005 Otello, Guadalupe, Calle Alvarado (ABV: 13.5%, Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Syrah, Grenache) – Smells sweet like cherries and brown sugar with hints of mint and pine needles in the aroma. Sounds strange? It is, a bit, though not really unpleasant. Compared to the Serafiel I just drank, this is too sweet on the palate however. The fruit is very ripe, there’s a bit of oak, and some of the mint comes through along with woody, twiggy tannin. As this opens up, it behaves more like a “traditional” cab, with less of the intense herbal qualities and more of a fruit-tannin balance. This is a bit of an odd one, but it’s definitely nuanced and worth some thought. Tasted 3/1/2010.
2010.03.02 Evan Hansen at 2:20 am
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One Response to Mexico: Corona or… Cabernet?
Any time I had an opportunity to buy a bottle of Mexican wine in Mexico, the price always seemed a bit more than I would have expected and I ended up with Tequila instead.