The Monte Xanic Estate
- Monte Xanic is heralded as the first boutique winery in Mexico, established in 1988. The story goes that this move, (and Monte Xanic's subsequent success) played a major role in starting a trend towards grape farmers making wine from their own grapes rather than raising grapes for sale.
- With a large quantity of land under vine in all the major wine growing valleys of the region, they are by far the most prolific of the boutique wineries in the region.
- Their vineyard sites are farmed sustainably, and their winery operates as a model of modern ecofriendly design.
- The estate weds advanced technology with old world wisdom, such as harvesting all their white grapes by hand at night in order to maintain maximum freshness and acidity.
- The "X" in Xanic is pronounced like a "sh", so Xanic sounds like "shan-eek". Xanic is the name of the white flower that is one of the first to bloom in spring in Valle de Guadalupe. When the spring rains are just right, the mountainside behind the winery is cloaked in their blooms.
Total production: 18 wines, 100,000 cases
2020 Limited Edition Cabernet Franc - Monte Xanic
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
Truly a masterpiece, this is the first of the Limited Edition bottlings from Monte Xanic to be released to the US market. What’s more is that it performs heads and shoulders over previous releases on account of much more strict berry selection and a much much smaller production than previous releases. All of this is in perfect keeping with the results of Oscar Gaona having apparently been given carte blanch to overhaul and upgrade Monte Xanic’s wines at all costs. Varietally correct, rich, balanced, structurally finessed and capable of the long haul, this is quite honestly the most interesting version of any Limited Edition wine from this estate we’ve tasted to date.
Only 150 cases made!
Drinking Window: upon release - 12 years
Vintage:
2020
Blend:
80% Cabernet Franc, 20% Merlot
Producer:
Monte Xanic
Winemaker:
Oscar Gaona - Mexican, lives in Valle de Guadalupe
Vineyards:
Valle de Ojos Negros – Estate owned, single vineyard with primarily clay soils at an elevation of 1,800 ft.
Aging:
Aged in 1st use French oak for 13 months and then racked into stainless steel tanks for an additional 4 months of settling.
Sulfites: 50ppm
Farming:
Sustainable
Alcohol:
13.8%
