Dominio de las Abejas Estate
Founded: 2015 by Mauricio Ruiz and family
Winemaker: Mauricio Ruiz (Mexican born, lives part time in Ensenada and part time in Australia where he runs two other organic biodynamic natural wineries
Winery location: Valle de Ojos Negros, Baja California
Region and grape source: Las Abejas is a concept winery that was started based on choosing the best possible piece of land for growing grapes in anticipation of climate change. Their search alighted on a piece of land in the high elevation Valle de Ojos Negros in Baja California, located just south and slightly inland from Valle de Guadalupe. Priority was placed on organic certification since the beginning, and the vineyards are certified organic by the CCOF. All grapes in their wines come from estate vineyards.
Vineyard location, elevation and grape varieties: The las Abejas vineyard is located in a very unique section of Valle de Ojos Negros that was once a marsh, (when the water table was much higher than it is now). The marsh was a resource for untold generations of migratory waterfowl all of which left deposits that enriched the soil. The marsh was gone long before they purchased the land, but the signature of this period is left in the rich and unique composition of the soil which has far more organic content than the surrounding area. At 2,200 ft in elevation, the main challenge of growing grapes here is the threat of frost during the growing season. They grow 10 grape varieties: Nebbiolo, Grenache, Nero D' Avola, Cinsault, Carignan, Chardonnay, Marsanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard, and Zinfandel.
Notes:
- The wines of las Abejas are made naturally. Ambient yeast fermentation, no corrections or additions, no filtration or fining and only a 30 ppm sulfite addition at bottling. This absolute gem of an estate is one of only a handful of organic certified vineyards in Mexico making 100% natural wine that is clean and precise, showing no faults of any kind. Their creations are at the top level of natural wines worldwide.
Total Production: 6 wines 3,400 cases
2024 - Osadia Chardonnay
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
As good as the red wines from Dominio de las Abejas are, if you ask winemaker/owner Mauricio Ruiz what his favorite grape is he’ll immediately reply “chardonnay”. With his mind set on making crisp, angular, Chablis-like Chardonnay that could make Mexico proud, he created this masterpiece. The first vintage to be released to the public, just 4 cases were sent to the US and what a gem it is. For those tracking the advance in quality of Mexican wines this is a critical milestone. The word Osadia translates to “audacity” in English and is an expression of the character it took to create a Mexican label with only white wines. With its sister wines of 100% Riesling and 100% Chenin Blanc on the horizon, this Chardonnay is a window into the exciting things to come from an estate that is breaking all ceilings on its rocket ship trajectory upwards.
52 cases made
Drinking window: upon release - 8 years
Vintage:
2024
Blend:
100% Chardonnay
Producer:
Dominio de las Abejas - Osadia line
Winemaker:
Mauricio Ruiz - Mexican
Vineyards:
Valle de Ojos Negros - Estate vineyards planted in 2015 at an elevation of 2,200 ft in a unique section of the valley that was once a marsh. Vineyards are certified organic by the CCOF.
Winemaking:
Grapes were hand harvested from estate vineyards and fermented in large format French oak barrels on ambient yeasts. After fermentation, the wine was moved to stainless steel tanks (30%) and 1st and 2nd use barrels for aging. The wine in 1st use barrels was moved to stainless after 3 months. Everything was combined before bottling which was done without fining or filtration with minimal sulfites added for stability.
Sulfites: 50 ppm at bottling
Farming:
Organic, sustainable
Alcohol:
12.5%
