The Pouya Estate
- Pouya is a woman-owned, woman-operated boutique production founded and run by Fernanda Parra.
- Fernanda is a Baja native who received her M.S. in enology, ampelology and viticulture after attending university in Montpellier, France. She started her wine career working at the lab at Tenuta Rapitala in Sicily and then worked as a cellar intern at Domaine La Criox Montjoie in Burgundy. Eventually she returned to Mexico work with Camillo Magoni as assistant winemaker at the Magoni Estate. Pouya is her personal project, and it reflects the culmination of years of training and hard work combined with the desire to participate in the expression of her heritage and love for Baja's terroir. The name Pouya is an homage to her great grandfather, a French scientist that fell in love with Baja.
- Pouya makes natural wines with no additions or corrections. They do not undergo filtration or stabilization. Only minimum sulfites are added at bottling - 30 ppm.
- Fernanda sources her grapes mainly from two old vine vineyard sites in Valle de Guadalupe, but she makes one-off wines from a number of additional small wineries. All are organically farmed and harvested by hand. Her two main grape sources are:
Bibayoff Estate - Planted in the 1950s by descendants of the Russian immigrants that were some of the first to establish vineyards in this region, these represent some of Valle's best Chenin Blanc plantings. One of the most emblematic vineyards of the region, the Bibayoff property lies at 1,100 ft, has soil composed to sand mixed with granite and clay marl, and is organically farmed. Perched on the valley’s northern wall, it has great access to water and contains some of the oldest vines in the region, many of which are dry farmed.
Olegario Sandoval Vineyards - Planted in the 1950s approximately 15 miles from the Pacific. The vines are old and gnarled in this dry farmed site that has the sandy soils that grows grapes with very little pigment in the skins. From this site Fernanda makes Grenache three ways: Methode Champenoise Sparkling, Rosé and Red (Tinto), to illustrate the diversity of potential of the grapes from this ancient vineyard.
Total Production: 800 cases, 6 - 8 wines (additional small batch wines made in some vintages)
2021 Brut Nature Espumoso Rosé - Pouya
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
A sparkling wine made in method champenoise with expressive notes of white flowers, citrus peel and fresh baguette on the nose. Fine bubbles overlay a crisp dry wine of refreshing acidity recalling Asian pear, green apple and lemon zest.
It was only a few years ago that sparkling wine was hard to find in Northern Baja, much less a decent one. That has changed entriely with many estates making sparkling wine and quite a few of them of excellent quality. That said, there are few that come close to this Brut Nature from Pouya, which in this vintage is certainly the best the region has to offer. From every angle this is a stunning wine, and the best part is that it will age incredibly well. Good luck managing to hold on to some!
Drinking window: Upon release - 15 years
120 cases made
Vintage:
2021
Blend:
100% Grenache
Producer:
Pouya
Winemaker:
Fernanda Parra - Mexican, lives in Valle de Guadalupe
Vineyards:
Valle de Guadalupe - Olegario Sandoval vineyard planted in 1969. Site is dry farmed organically and composed very sandy soils. Elevation is 1,100 ft, approximatly 15 miles from the Pacific.
Aging:
Base wine was aged for 10 months in stainless tanks. Secondary fermentation was carried out after bottling and wines were aged for an additional 9 months before release before disgorging.
Sulfites: 15 ppm
Alcohol:
11.4%
Farming:
organic, sustainable
