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
Special Edition Huichol 2020 Gran Ricardo - Monte Xanic
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
The tasting note below applies to the 2020 vintage in general, but what makes this bottle special is the Huichol artwork which adorns the bottle. With only 18 bottles allocated to the US and only 300 bottles made total, this is a collaboration meant to celebrate the pinnacle of Monte Xanic's winemaking alongside the impossibly high level and fastidious artform derived from the country's own indigenous Huichol. Just 6 bottles were released to the western US, and we received 4 of them. Each bottle comes in its own wooden box and each is the work of a single artist. Each bead was placed by hand in to a mesmerizing pattern of shapes and colors. The wine itself will age well, but the artwork on the bottle is a timeless collector’s piece. No two bottles exactly alike. The price reflects the many hours required by each artist to place each of the miniscule beads by hand. Truly remarkable creations by one of Mexico's great treasures - The Huichol.
General Tasting note for the 2020 vintage: Along with everything else winemaker Oscar Gaona has shuffled up since his arrival at Monte Xanic at the end of the 2018 vintage, he has left his mark on this 2020 edition of Monte Xanic’s premium wine as well. After many years of almost no variation in the percentages within the blend, this year saw a radical change. This stems from Oscar having been given broad latitude in reassessing the final selection of grapes as well as adapting the pruning in the vineyards to deliver a much lower yield. The end result was a 50% reduction in production and a wine built for the ages. Styled as a classic Bordeaux blend based largely on Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine come across with the same regal and somewhat austere nature of a fine vintage from the left bank of the Gironde. Full bodied and accessible in its youth this wine will also reward those who have the patience to lay it down. If you buy with the intention of cellaring, you can plan on it evolving nicely for 10 to 15 years. Bravo Oscar!
300 bottles made. 18 allocated to the US.
Drinking window: Upon release (with decant) - 10 to 15 years
Vintage:
2020
Blend:
55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 8% Petit Verdot, 2% Malbec
Producer:
Monte Xanic
Winemaker:
Oscar Gaona - Mexican, lives in Valle de Guadalupe
Vineyards:
Granite and clay mix
Aging:
Fermented and aged in 1st use French oak barrels
Farming:
Sustainable
Alcohol:
13.9%
