The Vinos del Tigre Estate
Founded in 2006 by the Quesada Lucero family this is one of the gems of the world of wine. They produce very small batch wines and distilled spirits that are so unique so as to be like painting with new colors on the palate. The winery is now run and farmed by winemaker Aldo Lucero. 
- 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. The Colombard grapes for their Burro Choyero are sourced from an organic dry farmed vineyard with 80 + year old vines that lies on the southwestern end of Valle de Guadalupe in the Ejido of San Antonio de las Minas. 
- Vineyard elevations and grape origins: 
Valle del Tigre – Estate vineyards planted in 2006 at an elevation of 850 ft - (Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Merlot, Malbec, Mission, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Muscato). This is a winery unto itself in a valley that runs almost parallel to the Pacific, lying just beyond the first ridgeline that separates the land from the ocean. Soil is a combination of clay, sand and river rocks and a substantial amount of organic matter. The tenderness and wholeness with which Aldo tends to this estate cannot be condensed into words on a screen but suffice it to say that if there is a spiritual version of farming, this is it.
Valle de Guadalupe – A forgotten parcel of the Magoni Ranch planted in the 1940s at an elevation of 1150 ft. (Colombard) 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.
- 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. 
- A farmer by trade Aldo considers his principle 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 and 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 and when you taste what he creates it’s hard not to admit they seem imbued with an energy unlike almost anything you’ve ever tasted before. Regardless, of the source of this difference, while the wines from this estate will never be easy to find, experiencing them will always be a gift. 
 
Total production: 4 wines, 600 cases