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
2024 Limited Edition Cabernet Franc - Monte Xanic
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
The 2024 vintage began slowly, but steady, even temperatures through harvest allowed for a long, controlled ripening cycle in this high-elevation vineyard. The result is fruit of excellent balance and clarity, harvested by hand at night to preserve freshness and acidity, with only the top clusters selected. Fermented in stainless steel over three weeks, the wine was then aged for 13 months in a mix of first- and second-use French oak. The finished wine shows a seamless interplay of precision, depth, and composure—an outstanding result from a patient growing season. 633 cases made Drinking window: upon release - 20 years
Vintage:
2024
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 2,253 ft in soils of granite mixed with clay. 1.63 hectares in total.
Winemaking:
Harvested by hand on Oct 19th 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 13 months before bottling. Barrels made of French oak specifically from the Nevers forrest were used. Sulfites: 35 ppm at bottling.
Farming:
Sustainable, organic
Alcohol:
13.7%
