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
2022 Selección - Monte Xanic
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
This is a tight selection of the best grapes from these three varieties from block of vineyards that are managed more harshly to produce lower yields and even higher quality fruit. The 2022 vintage was cooler and received more rain than normal so bud break was slightly later than normal and ripening happened very quickly at the end of the season when the heat finally turned on. Yields were good and the balance between acidity and ripeness is the hallmark of this vintage. Selección is a wine that manages to hold your attention all by itself, but it also pairs nicely with a rich and fatty dish – think ribeye or a dark mole.
Drinking window: upon release - 10 years
Vintage:
2022
Blend:
60% Malbec, 30% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Producer:
Monte Xanic
Winemaker:
Oscar Gaona - Mexican, lives in Valle de Guadalupe
Vineyards:
Granite and clay mix
Aging:
A selection of the best grapes from plots in the estate's vienyards in Valle de Guadalupe and Valle de Ojos Negros. Hand picked, fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged for 13 months French Oak barrels.
Framing:
Sustainable
Alcohol:
13.9%
