The Viñas del Tigre Estate
Founded: 2006 by the Quesada Lucero family
Winery location: The winery and their vineyards are located in Valle del Tigre approximately 2 miles from the Pacific Ocean. All red grapes are sourced from their estate vineyards.
Region and grape source: Various (see below)
Vineyard location, elevation and grape varieties:
- Valle del Tigre – Estate vineyards planted in 2006 at an elevation of 850 ft - (Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Merlot, Malbec, Missión, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Moscato). Soil is a combination of clay, sand and river rocks and a substantial amount of organic matter.
- Valle de Guadalupe – Magoni Ranch planted in the 1940s at an elevation of 1150 ft. (Colombard and Chardonnay). Abandoned before Aldo brought it back to life. Soil is a combination of clay and granite.
- Valle San Quintin - (Malbec) 3 hectares of vines planted in 2015 at an elevation 280 ft in clay and sandy soils. Organically farmed.
- Valle de la Grulla - (Missión) 2 hectares of vines planted in 2016 at an elevation of 920 ft in soil of silt and clay. Organically farmed.
Winemaker: Aldo C. Quesada Lucero - Mexican
Notes:
- A farmer by trade, Aldo considers his principal task to care and nurture the soil, stating that it is the soil that takes care of the plant – as long as you care for the soil, the plant will be taken care of.
- Aldo is the kind of person in whom there is no fine line between everyday living and a “spiritual” life. Everything he does is imbued with a consciousness of the global intentions he has in mind. He believes this has an enormous effect on everything from the compost he makes on site to the way the fermentations progress in his wines. An interesting consideration when you taste his wines. - When asked to summarize the ethos of his estate Aldo says, “Love, respect and care for the environment that drives a constant seeking for sustainability and dictates that their production will always remain small without the use of chemicals of any kind.
Total Production: 600 cases, 4 wine
2022 Burro Choyero - Viñas del Tigre
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
The 2022 Burro Choyero was originally intended to be a Colombard like the 2021 but when you’re a farmer dedicated to using old vines and dry farming them, occasionally nature doesn’t provide you with any fruit. Winemaker Aldo Quesera make a quick pivot and teamed up with an organic farm that had tasted his previous wines and was excited about selling him fruit. A 100% Chardonnay like you have never tasted before, this is an utterly naked and zingy expression of what the fruit has to offer. Leave it to Aldo, (who was featured in Nat Geo for his approach to farming in the face of climate change) to come up with an expression of Chardonnay that reads like this.
80 cases made (10 allocated to the US)
Drinking Window: upon release – 7 years
Vintage:
2022
Blend:
100% Chardonnay
Producer:
Viñas del Tigre
Winemaker:
Aldo C. Quesada Lucero - Mexican
Vineyards:
Valle de Guadalupe – A forgotten parcel of the Magoni Ranch planted in the 1940s at an elevation of 1150 ft. This vineyard was essentially abandoned before Aldo started tending to it in 2019. Forlorn and wild, this parcel is dry farmed and organic by default. Soil is a combination of clay and granite.
Winemaking:
Grapes were harvested in late August pressed and left to ferment in a stainless steel tank for 15 days. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was left to rest in a stainless steel tank for 3 months before bottling.
Like all wines from Vinos del Tigre, the fermentation was carried out with native yeast, never received corrections of any kind, was not fined or filtered, and never saw sulfites at any point in the process.
Sulfites: No sulfites added
Farming:
organic, sustainable
Alcohol:
11%
