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
2023 Limited Edition Cabernet Franc - Monte Xanic
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
A cooler-than-average growing season allowed for extended, slow ripening in the high-elevation vineyard, producing lower yields but exceptional quality. Grapes were hand-harvested at night to preserve freshness and acidity, with only the finest clusters reaching the press. Fermentation took place in stainless steel over three weeks before the wine was transferred off the lees into a combination of first- and second-use French oak barrels, where it aged for 13 months, resulting in a wine of remarkable balance, precision, and depth.
383 cases made
Drinking window: upon release (with decant) - 20 years
Vintage:
2023
Blend:
100% Cabernet Franc
Producer:
Monte Xanic
Winemaker:
Oscar Gaona - Mexican, lives in Valle de Guadalupe
Vineyards:
Valle de Ojos Negros – Viña Alta planted in 2008 at an elevation of 1,800 ft in soils of granite mixed with clay. 1.63 hectares in total.
Winemaking:
Harvested by hand on Nov 3rd in the middle of the night to preserve freshness and acidity. Stainless steel takes were used for fermentation and with rigorous manual selection only the best grapes made it to the press beforehand. 1st and 2nd use barrels were used for aging where the wine spent 18 months before bottling.
Only 35 ppm sulfites were applied at bottling.
Farming:
Sustainable, organic
Alcohol:
13.8%
