The Santo Tomás Estate
- Founded: 1888 by Francisco Adonegui and Miguel Olmart
- Region and grape source: The winery owns most of the land in Valle de Santo Tomàs, (including the 150+ year old vines of the Único vineyard) as well as 20 hectares of land in the hamlet of San Antonio de las Minas in Valle de Guadalupe.
- Vineyard elevations and grape origins:
- Valle de Guadalupe - Estate vineyards 900 ft (granite and clay soils)
- Valle de Santo Tomás - Estate vineyards 500 ft (variable. High on the slopes it’s mainly granite composed of large granite stones while down in the valley it's sandy soils high in iron and other minerals.
- Winemaker: Cristina Pino (Spanish born, now a Mexican citizen, lives in Valle de Guadalupe)
- Notes:
- Cristina Pino is one of the most highly respected winemakers in the region and a perfect example of the many strong women that are a primary driving force behind the quality and elegance dominating the wines coming out of the region.
- Santo Tomás is the oldest winery in the Baja region. Jesuit missionaries first established vineyards, (now privately held) in 1791 in this valley, just 5 years after the US signed its Constitution. Over a century later, in 1888 the land was purchased by Francisco Adonegui and Spaniard Miguel Olmart and became Mexico's first large scale commercial winery.
- The largest landowners in the 5 valleys of northern Baja, Santo Tomás has access to some of the best fruit available. The quality and balance of their wines is a signature of the estate.
- Since Christina took over in 2019 she has been covering to lower yields, increased quality, and working towards fully organic farming.
Total production: 22 wines, 130,000 cases
2024 Barbera - Santo Tomás
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
The monovarietal “White Label” wines from Santo Tomás represent the estate’s premium tier, and few are more distinctive than this Barbera. Sourced from some of the oldest Barbera vines in Mexico, it showcases the character and depth that have made these historic plantings so highly regarded.
The dry 2024 growing season produced small, concentrated berries with vibrant fruit, fresh acidity, and refined tannins. The result is a wine with immediate appeal and excellent aging potential.
The 2024 vintage also marks the transition from Christina Pino to David Nájera as winemaker, ushering in a new chapter while remaining true to the elegance and character that define this wine.
1083 cases made
Drinking Window: upon release - 10 yearsVintage:
2024
Blend:
100% Barbera
Producer:
Santo Tomás
Winemaker:
David Najera - Mexican, lives in Ensenada
Vineyards:
This Barbera is sourced from a 9.3-acre parcel at Rancho Los Dolores in Valle de Santo Tomás, planted in 1966 at 500 feet elevation. Now approaching 60 years of age, these venerable vines are among the oldest Barbera plantings in Mexico, producing naturally low yields of intensely concentrated fruit. One of the warmer winegrowing regions in Baja California, Santo Tomás benefits from a Mediterranean climate tempered by the nearby Pacific Ocean, creating ideal conditions for the production of balanced, expressive red wines. The vineyard is farmed organically and is currently undergoing organic certification.
Winemaking:
Grapes were harvested by hand in the night to preserve freshness and acidity on the evening of August 30th. Grapes were destemmed, pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks at low temperatures for 18 days. The finished wine was racked into 2nd use French and American oak barrels and left to age for 12 months. Light filtration and a small dose of 39 ppm sulfites were applied at bottling.
Farming:
Sustainable
Alcohol:
13.8%
