The Vena Cava Estate
- Vena Cava is a boutique winery founded in 2005 by Phil and Eileen Gregory under the principles of passion and quality over quantity. While they didn’t start with the intention of making “natural” wines, the more they learned the more this seemed the only interesting route forward. Today they are among the standouts of wineries in Mexico that are making exceptional wines in a “natural” style. While the estate makes wines that are strictly natural and others that are organic and noninterventionist (yet still apply some conventional techniques), we offer only their purely natural wines.
- All Vena Cava wines that have “Crystal Ship" or“Natural” as part of the name are made with organic grapes, fermented with native yeast, see no corrections, fining or additives and are bottled unfiltered with only a minimal amount of sulfites.
- While Vena Cava has its own estate vineyards, they have focused their business model on creating deep relationships with the best growers and the best vineyard sites such that, today, only 10% of their wines come from their estate owned grapes.
Vineyard locations, elevations and grape varieties –
- In addition to their 9.8 acres of estate vineyards located next to the winery in Valle de Guadalupe, they source their grapes from a number of select sites in Valle de Ojos Negros, Valle de San Vicente and Valle de Santo Tomás. All are organically farmed.
Total production: 10 regular wines and 10 “experimental” wines that change occasionally from vintage to vintage, 2,000 cases
2022 Extra Brut Rosé - Vena Cava
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
Since falling in love with the uber small production 2011 vintage of this wine I have been waiting for a vintage that delivered the same breadth of expression and balance. Fast forward through 11 years of patience wherein every vintage had one issue or another, I’m so glad to say that the 2022 is finally back to where the lovely 2011 started – this bottling is pure pleasure. Made by “method champenoise” this is the equivalent of champagne in Mexico and it holds up singingly to those who hold sparkling wines from Champagne France to that specific bar. Only it’s worth noting that grapes for this wine come from a single vineyard of estate grown fruit and is fermented on native yeast, which is more than can be said for the vast majority of wine coming from Champagne. Drink this now or sit on it for decade, it’s delightful either way.
183 cases made
Drinking window: Upon release - 12 years
Vintage:
2022
Blend:
83% Barbera, 17% Sauvignon Blanc
Producer:
Vena Cava
Winemaker:
Phil Gregory - British, lives in Mexico
Vineyards:
Valle de San Vicente - vines have an average age of 21 years in a vineyard site of 10 hectares. Soil is rich in clay and lies at an elevation of 600 ft.
Winemaking:
Grapes were harvested in late August and the Sauvignon Blanc and Barbera were fermented seperately, both on native yeast for a period of 3 weeks. Once primary fermentation was complete, the fermentation batches are blended and the wine bottled with a dose unfermented grape juice to initiate a second fermentation in the bottle. Each bottle is hand riddled for 8 months before they begin disgorging. Wine is not filtered.
Sulfites: No sulfites were added at any point during this process.
Farming:
Organic, sustainable
Alcohol:
13.8%
