The Solar Fortún Estate:
- Solar Fortún is a family owned and operated winery that was officially established in 2010 and planted 3 years prior in 2007. Coming from a background in theoretical and natural physics, (both of Santiago's parents are professors of physics at the university in Ensenada), the plan for this estate was methodical and precise, with no consideration left unattended.
- Fully sustainable, (and idyllic to the point of being completely transportive) the only non-renewable resource they use in their operation is the fuel that runs their tractor. As the harvests, and almost all the work in the vineyards is done by hand, it doesn't get used much!
- All grapes are estate grown in an organically farmed vineyard site at 1,100 ft elevation in the northern most section of the valley, approximately 15 miles from the Pacific in a part of the valley called Francisco Zarco. The confining walls are so tight at this point that they create more of a canyon than a valley. This creates a unique micro-climate where the temperature differential between the mountainsides and the valley floor generates a nearly constant breeze eliminating the risk of cluster rot or powdery mildew. This cooler climate also plays a role in the high natural acidity of these wines and their very prevalent floral components.
Total production: 18.5 acres under vine, 10 wines, 4,000 cases
2016 Elixir Cordis - Solar Fortún
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
The premium wine from Solar Fortún, Elixir Cordis is a very limited production derived from a single parcel within their already small estate vineyards. On top of this, it is only made in the best vintages. If the grapes are not perfect, the whole lot goes into their normal Cabernet wine. This being the case, 2016 represents only the second time Elixir has been produced.
After the grapes are harvested by hand, they are pressed and left to ferment on the skins and seeds in French oak barrels for two weeks and then racked off the lees and left to age for 24 months in uber premium French oak barrels made of air-dried light toast oak from France’s famous Limousine forest. In short, there is no expense spared in the making of this wine, which not only represents the best Cabernet this estate is capable of making, but also decidedly one of the top red wines made in Mexico. It’s not easy to get your hands on and we feel lucky to be able to offer it.
120 cases made (80 x 750 ml and 40 x 1.5 L)
Drinking window: Now (2 hour decant) – 20 years
Vintage:
2016
Blend:
85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Petit Verdot
Producer:
Solar Fortun
Winemaker:
Santiago Lopez - Mexican
Vineyards:
Valle de Guadalupe, ejido de Francisco Zarco - Estate vineyards in a tight valley with sandy soils of decomposed sandstone and some red clay. Vines were planted in 2007 and the elevation is 1,100 ft.
Winemaking:
Grapes are harvested by hand in the early morning to maintain maximum freshness and acidity, then destemmed and pressed and fermented in French oak barrels for just over 2 weeks. After fermentation is complete the wine is racked into ultra premium barrels made of air dried, straight grain, light toast French oak barrels that come from France’s famed Limousine Forest and left to age for 24 months. Once barrel aging is complete, the wine is bottled unfiltered and left to age for another 3 years before release.
Sulfites: 35 ppm
Farming:
Organic, sustainable
Alcohol:
13.8
