The Viñedos de la Reina Estate
- Founded in 2006 by the Curiel family, this is one of the only wineries which specializes in wine made exclusively from Valle de San Vicente. All wines are made from estate grown grapes, picked and sorted by hand.
- The winery name, which translates to “Vineyards of the Queen” was meant to honor the wife of the head of the founding family.
- With a broad and deep experience in wine, the Curiel family started this project with the intention of showing that Mexico could make wines with the kind of profound structure and balance required for a wine to age gracefully. True to their intentions, these are some of Mexico’s finest wines given time in the cellar and they reward those who have the patience to allow them to age.
- Originally from Chile, winemaker Hector Leonardo Villaseñor Neira now lives in Valle de Guadalupe. His background is in making wines with an organic and biodynamic focus.
- Their vineyards lie adjacent to the Pacific in Valle de San Vicente and range in elevation from 300 to 800 ft and were planted from 2005 onward. It has a privileged climate and formidable rocky soils on the slope of a hill facing the sea. All vineyards are sustainably farmed with an emphasis on minimal use of resources.
Total production: 100 acres under vine, 10 wines, 9,000 cases
2020 Cabernet Sauvignon - Viñedos de la Reina
What to Expect and Drinking Window:
Buyers should know that the varietal (white label) wines from this estate are “serious” wines that while they can be consumed in their youth will reward those who take the time to cellar them.
Like the rest of the Reina line up, the Cabernet Sauvignon will deeply reward those with patience but straight out of the gate this reads like a top-flight Cabernet Sauvignon from anywhere. That said, there is that gem of expression that makes it Valle de San Vicente alone, and what a wonder that is. Enjoy the evolution of this beauty over the next two decades.
620 cases made
Drinking Window: Upon release (with generous decant) - 20 years
Vintage:
2020
Blend:
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Producer:
Vinedos de la Reina
Winemaker:
Hector Leonardo Villaseñor Neira - Chilean, now lives in Mexico
Vineyards:
Valle de San Vicente - Estate vineyards with clay soils high in mineral content on the slope of a hill that faces the sea. The 17 acre plot planted with Cabernet Sauvignon lies at an elevation of 300 feet and was planted in 2002.
Winemaking:
After a long harvest to pick and sort for the best grapes, the clusters were destemmed and pressed and left to ferment in stainless steel tanks for a long low temperature period of 35 days. After fermentation was complete the wine was transferred into 2nd use French Oak barrels and left to age for 15 months before bottling. Only medium filtration was applied and 40 ppm sulfites added at bottling.
Farming:
Sustainable
Alcohol:
14.0%
