The Santos Brujos Estate
- Founded: 2008 by Sergio Salgado and family
- Region and grape source: All grapes for their wines are sourced from their estate owned organic and biodynamic certified (CCOF/Demeter) vineyards in Valle de Guadalupe.
- Vineyard specifics: Vines were planted in 2008 in soils of decomposed granite and clay at an elevation 900 ft approximately 8 miles from the Pacific. While most of the vineyards are planted in a standard slope and prevailing wind based orientation, a portion of their vineyards are planted in a Fibonacci spiral.
- Notes:
- Santos Brujos is one of the few wineries in the region that has taken the steps to become certified organic and biodynamic. Certified by the CCOF, USDA and Demeter, they are perhaps more dedicated to this approach than any other estates in the region thus far. Even the name "Santos Brujos", which translates to "Saintly Witches" makes reference to the practice prescribed by Rudolf Steiner, (the founder of Biodynamic farming) by which the amendments to the soil and plants are prepared and stirred at length by hand in large cauldrons.
- All of the wines are made in a “natural” style with native yeast fermentation, no additives or corrections at any point during the process. Minimal sulfites are added at bottling for stability.
- The philosophy of Santos Brujos is to learn from the land - to nurture and respect it in every process. In their wines they seek to exalt the freshness of the fruit in combination with the elegance of the tertiary aromas provided by the French oak.
Annual production: 4 wines, 2,200 cases
2022 Tempranillo - Santos Brujos
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
Perhaps the reference varietal Tempranillo from Mexico, this is the flagship wine of Santos Brujos and represents their largest production wine. In this vintage, a cooler spring and summer forced the estate to drop quite a bit of fruit in favor of perfectly ripened clusters. Thus, though the yield was far lower, the vintage really shines. Tempranillo is one of the grapes emerging from this region as king, and many would argue that Santos Brujos is leading the way in its premium expression. While challenging to put your finger on whether this is Old or New World in style, what’s clear is that it is serious wine that delivers in its youth but will age gracefully for 15 years or more.
900 cases made
Drinking window: upon release - 20 yearsVintage:
2022
Blend:
100% Tempranillo
Producer:
Santos Brujos
Winemaker:
Luis Pecina Garcia - Spanish born, lives in Mexico
Vineyards:
Valle de Guadalupe - Estate vineyards, located in the center of the valley approximately 8 miles from the Pacific at an elevation of 900 ft. Soils are a sandy clay marl.
Winemaking:
Harvest occurred in the early morning of August 25th. Grapes were hand picked and manually sorted before being pressed and left to ferment on ambient yeast in stainless steel tanks for a period of 3 weeks. Once fermentation was complete, the wine was racked off the gross lees racked off the gross lees aged in new French oak for 12 months. Bottled unfiltered and unfined.
Sulfites: 37 ppmFarming:
Biodynamic, organic, sustainable
Alcohol:
13.5%
