Wine Blog Tasting Notes Primer Capitulo

…and so we begin.

A 10:30 a.m. scheduled pick up from our driver Jose-Louis however, somehow signals got crossed and he thinks he is picking us up mañana (literally). Okay, being a very conscientious person, he somehow scrambles and picks up us about 11:15 a.m. Finally on the way to the first wineries with an eclectic mix of music he had prepared consisting of songs from Frank Sinatra, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, Creedence Clearwater Revival and a few other gems, perfect for our generation!

I am going to start my notes with my favorite (for various reasons) winery of this first group visited, Casa Magoni.

Casa Magoni is family owned and currently run by enologist Camillo Magoni. The Magoni family began growing grapes in the 1900s when Camillo’s father inherited a vineyard from his father in Morbegno, Northern Italy. Camillo came to Mexico from Italy at the age of 20 and served as honorary consulate for Italy in Tijuana for 17 years. He received experience in making wines in Mexico as a winemaker at another winery originally founded by an Italian, L.A. Cetto (Don Angelo Cetto), and later by working at Monte Xanic. About 15 years ago, Camillo and his family began making wine from their own grapes in the Guadalupe Valley. The wine made was not originally sold to the public but rather given as gifts to his Italian family and friends when he would visit Italy. Some of these Mexican wines were even entered in wine competitions in Italy. In 2013 the family made the decision to offer their wines to the public and as such, the present winery was born*.  

Winery visit: When we arrived, we were directed to the outside, covered, patio tasting room where Valeria was on duty, she was concerned that her English may not be good enough (she was doing fine BTW) so Juan joined to help.

*Information on the history of the winery was obtained from interviews with the tasting room staff as well as the winery website.

Wine Notes _Part I, Group A

Group A “Mixta”(mixed) tasting of the standard level wines called the Casa Magoni classic line (3 whites and 3 reds, normally includes 2 whites and a rose but the  rose was sold out so a sauvignon blanc was substituted for the rose in the white group)

1. “Manaz”- Vionier 80% and Fiano 20%, vintage 2020 [$220 pesos]:

Fermented in steel, bright straw color with very nice fruity nose consisting of citrus and floral notes with some vanilla tones (we did not discuss if they do malolactic fermentation). We purchased a bottle and noted later it was very food friendly as well.

2. Chardonnay (80%) and Vermentino (20%) [$220 pesos]:

20% of the chardonnay spends 3 months in oak before blending, brilliant color, green apple on the nose, good acid balance, medium body with a long fruit and acid finish. Also liked it enough to purchase a bottle.

3. Sauvignon Blanc (100%) vintage 2020 [$230 pesos]:

Light yellow color, very floral with good fruit and fresh finish. Good, but not special to me and a little atypical on the palate.

4. Sangiovese (40%) and Cabernet (60%) vintage 2020 [$220 pesos]:

Aged in oak, bright red color, beautiful smooth and balanced fruit, with bright cherry and vanilla, a soft palate but with acid on the finish. With airing the bright, soft cherry tones became more like a tart cherry with more acid/tartness showing through. Very enjoyable! Consistent notes the next night with dinner from a freshly opened bottle we had purchased.

5. Origen 43 (named for the 43rd parallel “where the wine is from”) [$270 pesos]:

This is a Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese, Aglianico, Canaiolo, Montepulciano, with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon aged 12 months in used (2-year-old I believe) American oak. Very fresh, big fruit on the nose, full of fruit in the mouth, but only medium in body, Juan said it is a good pizza wine and I agreed.

6. Merlot (60%) and Malbec (40%) 2019 [$300 pesos]:

Spent 15 months in 2-year-old American oak, bright fruit, predominantly purple plums to me, very bright fruit but with firm tannins, I kept picturing a grilled steak in my head while tasting it.

7. Nebbiolo (100%) 2018 [Bonus wine not generally included in the mixed tasting- $370 pesos]:

Aged 15-18 months in 2-year-old American oak, Chocolate and smoke on the nose with bright red fruits. Tannins, full bodied, another steak wine and another one I purchased for home.

There will be a part two to this tasting as I ended up doing their Reserve Tasting (Magoni Reserva Line) as well, so stay tuned in the next few days.