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: 5 wines 3,400 cases
2025 Naranja - Dominio de las Abejas
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
As always, Naranja is a field blend, with the varieties harvested together and fermented on skins, with one important exception. Colombard naturally ripens around two weeks later, so it is picked separately and direct pressed. Its naturally high acidity acts almost like a final adjustment to the blend, bringing energy and freshness back into the wine after the richness and texture of the skin-fermented components.
Trebbiano also plays a smaller role in the 2025 blend than in the previous vintage. The result is a Naranja that remains unmistakably itself: structured, textural and a little wild, but in 2025 with an extra sense of generosity and breadth, held together by the vibrant acidity that has always been at the heart of the wine. 500 cases made Drinking window: Upon release - 4 years
Vintage:
2025
Blend:
32% Marsanne, 27% Sauvignon Blanc, 21% Trebbiano, 17% Colombard, 3% Viognier
Producer:
Dominio de las Abejas
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:
A blend of all of the white grapes from Las Abejas that they use to make an amber (skin contact white) wine. All grapes were picked on the same day and co-fermented on native yeast for a period of a period of 18 days on the skins (except the Colombard which was direct press and blended to taste at the end of the fermentation) at the lowest temperature possible in order to manage the tannin coming from the skin contact. After fermenting, the wine was passed into concrete eggs for 4 months of aging to soften the tannins. Like all the rest of the wines from Las Abejas, this was bottled without filtration or fining. Sulfites: 60 ppm
Farming:
Organic, sustainable
Alcohol:
12.9%
