15 Mexican labels that honor Luis Fernando Olaverri’s phrase: “Wine is the only work of art that can be drunk.”
1. Balche 2012 Premium
In 1997, the Barón Balché vines were abandoned and a determined Juan Ríos set out to recover them. Currently, the prestigious Valle de Guadalupe house has 22 labels, 14 of them red wines.
In this wide line of reds, the Balché 2012 Premium stands out, a wine born from the 100% Syrah varietal, which leaves aromas of currants, plums, tobacco and cocoa on the nose, ending with black olives.
It is unctuous on the palate, with a good balance between acidity, tannins and alcohol. And he is also an extraordinary husband for chops, quail, moles, sausages and smoked foods.
2. Monte Xanic Cabernet Franc 2014
The Guadalupe winery of Monte Xanic , founded in 1987, has established itself as the third in the hierarchy in Mexico thanks to its aggressive and creative performance in all segments of the wine business.
The Monte Xanic Cabernet Franc is a wine complemented by 20% of the Merlot grape, emerging a cherry red nectar, clean and bright.
It is frank and aromatic on the nose, offering aromas of ripe red fruits, spices, vanilla, wood and slate. It is balanced, persistent, with fresh acidity and robust tannins, continuing the fruity and spicy flavors on the palate. It goes well with roasts, kid, duck risottos and mature cheeses.
3. Perseus The Sky
El Cielo Valle de Guadalupe was conceived as an ecotourism project that integrates a vineyard, a winery, the elegant Latitud32 restaurant, an organic garden, a cafeteria, and a planned boutique hotel.
In its wine lines there are classic, modern and young wines. Among the labels of the traditional series, Perseus stands out, a wine made with 70% Nebbiolo grapes and 30% Sangiovese, which spends two years in new French oak barrels.
It is intense red in color with violet touches and leaves aromas of figs and prunes on the nose, with traces of tobacco.
On the palate it is round and long lasting, ratifying its fruity expression. It is excellent to accompany roasts, game and mature cheeses.
4. Royal Reserve 2012
This Baja Californian red wine made from Barbera and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes is manufactured in Ensenada by the former Casa Pedro Domecq, now Pernod Ricard Mexico.
It is a broth with a well-defined ruby color, with violet tones, excellent to accompany chicken and other white meats, roasts, not very intense cheeses and pasta.
On the nose it evokes dark fruits in full season, such as raspberries and blackberries, also giving off a light aroma of menthol, with touches of dark chocolate, vanilla and coconut.
It has a fruity flavor, with a very well balanced acidity, with smooth and light tannins, and a pleasant persistence.
5. Anxelin Shiraz 2014
Travelers who used the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro en route to Santa Fe or Mexico City would have been grateful 300 years ago for making wine at the old Hacienda de Encinillas, located in the Encinillas Valley of Chihuahua, next to the legendary route .
The wines of Bodega y Viñedos Encinillas were delayed until the 20th century, but they have placed the terroir in high place for its quality. One of them is the Anxelin Shiraz, a red wine with a purple color and violet contributions, made with 100% Syrah.
Its bouquet is of red fruits when ripe, with hints of vanilla, leaving on the palate some ripe and friendly tannins and a fruity flavor. It goes well with meats, pastas and pizzas.
6. Wine of the Queen Pinot Noir 2014
It is a nectar made in the Guadalupano Valley of San Vicente only with Pinot Noir, a complicated grape in the vineyard and in winemaking, which as compensation usually gives birth to very elegant wines.
The Vino de la Reina Pinot Noir is a work of the Bodega Vino de la Reina, cherry red in color, with a very clean appearance and a noble pairing for sausages and other cured meats, pâtés, beef, pork and creams.
Its aroma is vast and complex. It offers reminiscences of currants, blueberries, raspberries and other fruits. It also has a floral side, with caresses of roses and gardenias. It ends with indications of tobacco, anise, chocolate, cloves, vanilla and cinnamon.
In the mouth it is present with a moderate acidity, offering a soft and dry finish.
7. Racking Nebbiolo 2012
The quintessential Piedmontese grape was successfully adapted to the Baja California Peninsula in its Lombard sub-variety of Chiavennasca and Bodega Vinos Trasiego, from Ensenada, Valle de Guadalupe, has used it 100% for this formidable red wine.
It is a fine, light, elegant wine with enough personality to be associated with red meats, stews and truffles.
It is aged for 15 months in American oak barrels and its predominant aromas refer to roses, violets, plums, chocolate and truffles.
8. Between the lines 2011
Between the lines can be read clearly and pleasantly in the mouth and nose, thanks to the fortunate blend of Malbec, Nebbiolo and Syrah made by Vinícola Santa Elena, a hydro-warm house with terroir in the Montegrande Valley, of the Pabellón de Arteaga Municipality, Aguascalientes.
This representative of the Mexican central highlands comes from a valley at more than 1,800 meters above sea level, with hot days and cool nights, which guarantee a microclimate suitable for a grape of great nobility.
Tends to violet, with brown traces, and has a robust aroma of blackberries, cherries and toasted notes. It is fresh, with a defined acidity and pairs very well with baked and roasted red meats.
9. Cañada de los Encinos 2013
The Zinfandel grape, one of the most sugary, which is why it produces high levels of alcohol, was introduced in the Californian territory in the mid-19th century and has been called the “California Red Grape”
For the Cañada de los Encinos, made by Bodega Vinsur, in Ensenada, the Zifandel has been balanced with 20% Petit Verdot, a grape that we usually see blended with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cañada de los Encinos is a deep violet wine, with hints of brick, floral, fruity and spicy on the nose, and with a long persistence on the palate. It goes excellently with black mole, well-seasoned meals, pastas and dark fruit-based desserts.
10. Sculpture of the Marquis – Reserve 2014
This Queretano made with Syrah and Nebbiolo by Bodega Vinos del Marqués, is intense, with balanced acidity and balanced tannins. It pairs perfectly with marinated meats and roasts.
El Marqués is a municipality in Querétaro that is asking for a place to join Tequisquiapan and Ezequiel Montes in the star cast of the Querétaro wine corridor.
The Bodega Vinos del Marqués already has 5 labels on the market, with the 2014 Sculpture of Marqués – Reserva being its most finished work.
It is a crimson red, with aromas of ripe fruit, spices, tobacco and leather; that leaves a balanced acidity and soft tannins on the palate. Suitable for pairing with roasts and seasoned meats.
11. Black Label – North 32
Tempranillo, the grape that rules the vineyards of the Spanish wine region of La Rioja, joins forces with Syrah to produce this clean red from Bodega Norte 32, based in Ensenada, Valle de Guadalupe.
Norte 32 was founded in 2002 by the retired aviation captain, Oscar Obregón, precisely on a piece of land located on Parallel Norte 32.
The Black Label is aged for up to 12 months in French and American barrels, its initial aroma of candies in syrup standing out on the nose, with the subsequent presence of cherries, blackberries, spices and vanilla.
On the palate it is harmonic, with pleasant acidity and powerful tannins. It combines perfectly with red meats, pork, lamb and baby squid.
12. Assemble Sand
Bodega Paralelo has its seat 10 km from Francisco Zarco, in the heart of Valle de Guadalupe. It produces a white with 100% Sauvignon Blanc and two reds, the Ensamble Colina and the Ensamble Arena.
The Arena is a dark red wine, made with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Syrah and Barbera. On the first nose it offers aromas of plums, blackberries and minerals, while the second wave brings chocolate, toasted almonds and vanilla.
It is a broad wine with firm tannins, with a fruity finish, which pairs satisfactorily with juicy lamb, game and blue cheeses.
13. Inland 2012
This red is a product of the Zacatecas winery Vinícola Campo Real, based 37 km from the state capital, at 2,300 meters above sea level.
Tierra Adentro is a deep violet wine, with hints of rubies, made from Syrah, Merlot and Tempranillo grapes in 50/40/10 proportions.
It has aromas of red and black fruits, such as currants, raspberries and cherries, also providing some chocolate, black and toasted bread. It is fruity, with velvety tannins, balanced acidity and goes well with pastas, pizzas, cold meats, cheeses and roasts.
14. Worldly 2013
The Mundano Winery, from the Valle de Guadalupe, hit a plenary session with this Nebbiolo wine with a clean violet color.
On the nose it leaves red fruits, raspberries, candied cherries, with herbal tones and chamomile. On the palate it feels very well structured, with firm tannins, good permanence and adequate acidity. Specialists recommend accompanying it with cuts of beef, pork and red meat pasta.
15. Santos Brujos Tempranillo 2013
This Guadalupan Tempranillo is manufactured by Bodega Viñas del Sol. It is cherry red in color, clean and bright, with purple tones.
Its complexity brings together aromas of blackberries and rose stems on the first nose, offering floral scents, coffee and cocoa, and spices and wood on the second nose.
In the mouth, its tannins feel clear and the flavors recall the perceived aromas, with a medium to long persistence.
We hope you enjoy any of our 15 recommendations. Health! 
