The Solar Fortún Estate:
- Solar Fortún is a family owned and operated winery that was officially established in 2010 and planted 3 years prior in 2007. Coming from a background in theoretical and natural physics, (both of Santiago's parents are professors of physics at the university in Ensenada), the plan for this estate was methodical and precise, with no consideration left unattended.
- Fully sustainable, (and idyllic to the point of being completely transportive) the only non-renewable resource they use in their operation is the fuel that runs their tractor. As the harvests, and almost all the work in the vineyards is done by hand, it doesn't get used much!
- All grapes are estate grown in an organically farmed vineyard site at 1,100 ft elevation in the northern most section of the valley, approximately 15 miles from the Pacific in a part of the valley called Francisco Zarco. The confining walls are so tight at this point that they create more of a canyon than a valley. This creates a unique micro-climate where the temperature differential between the mountainsides and the valley floor generates a nearly constant breeze eliminating the risk of cluster rot or powdery mildew. This cooler climate also plays a role in the high natural acidity of these wines and their very prevalent floral components.
Total production: 18.5 acres under vine, 10 wines, 4,000 cases
2022 Mourvedre - Solar Fortún
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
The 2022 vintage restores this as a monovarietal 100% Mourvedre and my goodness is it delicious. The nuanced floral notes and high-register red berry characteristics that typifies Mourvedre from this estate are on full display. Straight out of the gate the wine is well integrated, with the fruit profile integrating immediately with the barrels used to age it. Excited to see where this one goes over the next decade.
500 cases made
Drinking window - Upon release - 10 years
Vintage:
2022
Blend:
100% Mourvedre
Producer:
Solar Fortun
Winemaker:
Santiago Lopez - Mexican
Vineyards:
Valle de Guadalupe, ejido de Francisco Zarco - Estate vineyards in a tight valley with sandy soils of decomposed sandstone and some red clay. Vines were planted in 2007 and the elevation is 1,100 ft.
Winemaking:
Fermented in stainless steel tanks for 2 weeks and then racked to American oak barrels and aged for 12 months.
Sulfites: 30 ppm
Farming:
Organic, sustainable
Alcohol:
13.6%