Just when we thought we had finished tasting at Casa Magoni…

Soon after starting the tasting of the Casa Magoni standard wines, Valeria mentions they have a Magoni “Reserva” tasting they do on the weekends in case I want to come back. I replied that I was up to the task right now, and asked if it were possible to do the reserve tasting after I finish the current tasting set. After Valeria placed a brief phone call to someone else at the winery, a cheese and charcuterie plate appeared, “This is included with the Reserva tasting” is what I heard (so I figured the answer to the phone call was Si ! ). At this point, looking over at our ever-patient driver Jose-Louis, we motioned for him to come over to help us with the beautiful food.

As an aside, it can be very confusing and difficult to find some of the wineries we visited on one’s own so a dependable, local driver who knows the wine region is extremely useful. I can highly recommend Jose-Louis, he is a good English speaker, very friendly, very reasonably priced, and willing to take you anywhere you like, even in the face of last-minute itinerary changes😊 He can be contacted on Facebook at Baja Personal Transportation.

Wine Notes _Part II, Group B

1. Reserva Sauvignon Blanc- Vintage 2017, clone 22 (an American clone) [$490 pesos]:

Fifteen months in American new oak barrels with “special toast” (Juan said this was a medium toast) and 12 months sur lie in same fermentation barrels. Earth on the nose (probably from the sur lie), good acid and fruit, definitely had a sense of place/location on the palate, would not be confused with a New Zealand or Napa Valley SB. Not my favorite of the tasting but worth trying.

2. Tempranillo (clone 770) – 55%, Graciano (clone 01.1)-32% and Granacha (clone 05.1)- 13%, Vintage 2016 [$650 pesos]

Fifteen to 18 months in new American oak barrels. To me the nose indicated the wine was slightly oxidized, Juan told me it had been open 2 days since they mark the dates on the bottle. My notes were sparse on this one, probably due to the oxidation, which I generally have a hard time tasting through but thought it was a light wine with similar weight to a Dolcetto. I did not feel like asking him to open a fresh bottle for me at the time, so will need to retaste next visit.

3. Cabernet Sauvignon (clone 337) -64%, Merlot (clone 348)-11%, Malbec (clone 180)-7%, remainder of percentage grapes included Petite Verdot (clone 001) and Carmenere (clone VCR 702)-Vintage 2016 [$750 pesos]

Eighteen months in American oak. Wow, very Bordeaux like, big, full-bodied, great fruit, texture, tannin and acid. My favorite of the tasting, ended up buying 2 bottles to take back to our Baja home. (Yeah, so I liked it a bit).

4. Nebbiolo (clone 34) 100%, Vintage 2016 [$890 pesos]

Eighteen to 20 months in new American oak, another big wine, oaky and floral, good fruit, probably needs some time yet, even though the wine already has 5 years of bottle age. I preferred their non-reserve bottling reviewed on my previous post.

5. Syrah (clone 877)-50%, Mourvedre (clone 249)-11%, Petite Syrah (clone 05.1)-30%, and Grenache (clone 03.1)-9% [$690 pesos]

A few minutes prior to this pour when I was telling Juan how much I liked the Cabernet, he told me that I should wait, his favorite was the Syrah. Off the bat he was correct about this being a very good wine, but it only picked up a silver medal to my palate.

Spent 18 months in American oak, each of the varietals vinified separately then blended. Beautiful sweet fruit, both on the nose and palate. Another big wine with aging potential and another purchase for home “use”.

A final, more general note: None of the wineries visited seemed to have spittoons out to dump your wine if you are trying to pace yourself, so you need to do one of two things-either 1. ask for a dump bucket or 2. have an eager assistant “taster” who is willing to finish whatever wine you have left in the glass before going on to the next taste (I ended up doing a mixture of each method during my winery visits).

And for now we bid adios to the first of our Baja winery reviews, stay tuned for additional winery reviews as well as related topics coming to this blog soon….