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
2023 Tempranillo - Santos Brujos
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
Perhaps the defining Tempranillo of Valle de Guadalupe, Santos Brujos turned a near-perfect 2023 season into one of its most compelling releases yet. Following the rainiest winter in the region in over 40 years, warm days and dramatically cool nights delivered fruit with incredible balance, freshness, and precision. The result is a wine that feels both powerful and polished — layered with vibrant fruit, lifted aromatics, and refined structure. Already captivating in its youth, this is a vintage with the energy and pedigree to evolve beautifully for years to come.
1062 cases made
Drinking window: upon release - 15 yearsVintage:
2023
Blend:
100% Tempranillo
Producer:
Santos Brujos
Winemaker:
Emiliano Cruz - Spanish born, lives in Mexico
Vineyards:
Estate vineyards in Valle de Guadalupe, planted in 2016 and situated in the heart of the valley approximately eight miles from the Pacific Ocean at 900 feet elevation. The site’s sandy clay marl soils, combined with strong maritime influence, promote balanced ripening and natural freshness in the fruit. The estate farms 15 acres of Tempranillo, certified organic by CCOF and biodynamic by Demeter.
Winemaking:
Harvest took place during the cool early morning hours of September 21st, significantly later than the previous vintage, allowing for extended hang time and even ripening. The grapes were hand-harvested, manually sorted, gently pressed, and fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel over three weeks. Following fermentation, the wine was racked off its gross lees and aged for 12 months in second-use Seguin Moreau French oak barrels (Finesse, Synergie, and Elegance). Bottled unfined and unfiltered. Total sulfites: 37 ppm.
Farming:
Biodynamic, organic, sustainable
Alcohol:
13.5%
