Monday, February 25, 2008

Artisan Wines Being Featured in Baja California, Mexico

"Vino-Tourism" by Steve Dryden

Friday, March 7th will be a time of celebration and appreciation for three artisan wineries of Baja California, Mexico, as Chabert’s Restaurant in the Rosarito Beach Hotel matches these excellent local wines with culinary delights from their gourmet kitchen. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with wines from Vides y Vinos California or Roganto, J.C. Bravo, and Oporto de Moreno. Two of these rare and hard to find wines are now only available at Chabert’s and have been sold out on the open market for several months. Special guest, Antonio Escalante from Roganto, will host the event along with Laura Torres and Steve Dryden.

 

The first wine presented is a delightful Chardonnay from Roganto, stainless steel tank fermentation with no oak barrel aging, creates a clean and elegant white wine that matches well with our Spanish-style creamed pea soup with chorizo. The second course of rack of lamb and mixed baby greens is paired with the sold out vintage of Carrigan from local artisan winemaker J.C. Bravo. Or you can have the other second optional course of T-bone steak in a special Chef’s sauce with Chabert’s potatoes and mixed vegetables matched with J.C. Bravo’s elegant wine. Dessert featuring Chabert’s homemade cheesecake in a berry jubilee sauce is married to the rare and sold out vintage of oporto (port) from Oporto Moreno. Pricing of the event is $39 person (plus tax) for three glasses of wine and three gourmet delights, includes tip. Additional refills can be purchased at $7.00 per glass. Reservations requested at (800) 343-8582 or (661) 612-1126; and visit www.rosaritobeachhotel.com.

 

Roganto Wine or Vides y Vinos Californianos, S.P.R. de R.L, is considered by experts to be one of the top wineries in Mexico. In fact, last year a special wine tasting event organized by Mexico’s top independent wine experts and specialists was held at 13,200 feet in elevation (creating superior tasting conditions),  where they chose 2005 Roganto Tempranillo as the second best wine in the country. The point spread between their Tempranillo and the first place wine (L.A Cetto Platino) was less than one point. Currently only about 250 cases of the wine ($65 US) are available for purchase from this Ensenada winery located near Wal-Mart. This 2005 Tempranillo was aged in a combination of new oak barrels for ten months and is a prime example of a top quality Mexican wine. In 2005 the winery also released a superb blend of Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon. About 180 cases of the Temp/Cab blend (aged in new oak for twenty-two months) remain at $32 and 300 cases of the Cabernet (twenty-two months in new French oak) are available at $65 a bottle.

 

Even though Roganto winery is technically a boutique winery in size and production, I consider it to be an artisan winery due to the high quality and individual attention focused on each vintage of wine. Their state-of-the-art winery facility is a hidden treasure of Ensenada, located behind a well drilling and commercial pump business – just a few miles south of downtown on Reforma Ave. Two wine enthusiasts, Rogelio Sanchez and Antonio Luis Escalante, have teamed up to create the remarkable Roganto wines.

 

It’s almost a “top secret,” and access to the tasting room is limited to serious wine lovers and those with “inquiring palates.” One of their newest premium wines is an incredible 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. It’s not a traditional herbal and grassy tasting wine typical of this varietal, but an elegant wine with tropical fruit, guava, pineapple and pear on the nose, refreshing, crisp, well balanced and delicious. The production was limited to 550 cases, fermentation in stainless steel tanks with no oak barrel aging and retailing for about $25. These two dedicated local winemakers also create two distinct Chardonnay wines, one with stainless steel fermentation and no oak barrel aging ($22) and another excellent Chardonnay aged in new French oak for twenty-two months at $28 bottle. To arrange a private tasting or purchase wine contact: (646) 176-6185.

 

If you love discovering (and drinking) rare and amazing wine come try a wonderful rare artisan creation featured during this wine dinner event from J.C. Bravo of Valle de Guadalupe. Mr. Bravo has a cult following for his “famous” Carrigan, one of the most stunning artisan red wines to come out of Mexico’s premier wine growing region of Baja California. He’s a former student of wine guru Hugo D’ Acosta, and has risen to the top in the artisan winemaking movement in Valle de Guadalupe. J.C. Bravo is a prime example of local people in this region who have learned the skills of hand-making artisan wines that are creating a niche market among wine enthusiasts and wine lovers nationally and internationally. In addition, one of the rarest and hardest wines to find is a wonderful port wine from Moreno of Baja California. We’ve got the last vintage of this dessert wine and you can help us finish off these “bottled treasures of delight” by attending our artisan wine dinner event on Friday, March 7th.

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Steve Dryden, a MexiData.info guest columnist, is a wine, food, travel and Native Peoples and history writer.  He lives in the Guadalupe Valley of Baja California.