Bodegas Icaro Estate
Founded: 2005 by Jose Luis Durand
Winemaker: Jose Durand - Born in Chile and moved to Valle de Guadalupe in the 1970s to make wine for Chateau Domecq before starting Mexico's first premium wine brand in 2005.
Winery location: Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
Region and grape source: Jose's relationships with select farmers in Valle de Guadalupe are as old as many of the vineyards themselves. He uses grapes from several sites in Valle de Guadalupe that he has been sourcing from for 30 years, 20 of which as a winemaker for his own winery.
Vineyard location, elevation and grape varieties: All are located within Valle de Guadalupe at elevations between 900 and 1,300 ft and each represents the pinnacle of expression within the region for variety of grapes they grow.
Other notes:
- After working for several decades as the winemaker at Chateau Domecq, Jose found he no longer had interest in their high-volume approach to business and winemaking, nor did he align with their approach to care for the land or intent of self-expression. Having discovered a vineyard that produced grapes whose quality and character were beyond what he could explain, he created a small batch of a few barrels of wine that would later become the first "Icaro", arguably Mexico's first uber premium wine. As Domecq had no interest in making wine of this kind, Jose eventually left his post at Domecq to start Bodegas Icaro with the intent of reaching the highest levels of expression of wine in Valle de Guadalupe.
In the nearly 2 decades that have passed since that point, Jose has dug as deeply as possible into what became an incredible blend of theory and passion, science and poetry. The current result is the launch of an ultra premium line of wines called Hypervinos that are founded on what he calls "aromatic enology". In this approach, all of the key decisions in the process of farming, harvest, and winemaking turn on aromatics rather than tannin, ph and sugar development as do all other traditional methods.
- Icaro (or Icarus in English) borrows its name and significance from the Greek legend of Icarus. It intends to show the character of the winery in terms of their willingness to push the limits to find excellence, elegance and beauty in their wines.
Total Production: 4,800 cases, 14 wines
2020 El Malabarista - Bodegas Icaro
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
Slightly darker in the glass than the ethereal El Perfumista, this Grenache-based blend clocks in at a similar low level of alcohol at 12.3%. The nose on this wine explores the high and low notes and dances between floral and forest floor expressions with abundant fruit and spice notes in between. On the palate the wine a mix of dark and lighter red fruits dominate enveloped in a wash of silky smooth tannins. Dark fruits, spices and a kiss of sweet tobacco leaf linger on the tongue for 60 seconds or more.
175 cases made
Drinking window - upon release - 10 yearsVintage:
2020
Blend:
42% Grenache, 25% Tannat, 18% Nebbiolo, 15% Petite Verdot
Producer:
Bodegas Icaro
Winemaker:
Jose Durand - Chilean, lives in Valle de Guadalupe
Vineyards:
Valle de Guadalupe – 1.31 acres, elevation 1378 ft in sandy soils. Minimally irrigated and farmed with as much biodiversity as the vines will allow in an approach they term “precision sustainability”. The Grenache was planted in 1958, the other varietals in 1998.
Winemaking:
From an ideal vintage where there was no rain during the growing season following a deeply cold wet winter allowing fully dormant vines. Grapes were harvested by hand and manual basket pressed before being transferred to flexitanks for a cold fermentation on the skins. Manual punch downs were carried out daily with the gentlest hand possible to stir but not cause over extraction. Once fermentation was complete the wine was moved to French Oak barrels of various use and left to age for 12 months before bottling. Bottles were held for an additional 12 months before release.
Alcohol:
12.3%
Farming:
Precision sustainable
