Being a physician, I just could not resist a visit to a winery called Vena Cava! The winery is devoted to recycling, or more specifically upcycling. For example, the roof of the main indoor part of the winery is made from reclaimed fishing boats and other recycled material.
They have a focus on organic wine production which they originally got into in 2005, but not to any appreciable extent until 2014. They currently produce both natural/organic, unfiltered wines as well as more standard traditional wines (i.e. non-cloudy filtered or fined wines). All wines are hand harvested generally between 3-4 am in the morning to insure pristine condition for their journey at the winery. As I noted with several other wineries in the Guadalupe Valley, a reservation is needed in order to do a tasting at Vena Cava. In addition, you need to book the specific tasting you are interested in along with a credit card number to confirm the reservation. We opted to do the mixed organic and non-organic (standard) wine tasting.
Our guide Yoel spoke great English, was well trained and very personable.
- Sauvignon Blanc (standard bottling), vintage 2019, tank fermented [$400 pesos]:
Clear, with floral notes and green melon/mango on the nose, bright acid, nice wine overall.
2. Sauvignon Blanc Natural (organic), vintage 2020 [$550 pesos]:
Turbid, with visible sediment on bottom of bottle, more yellow in color than the standard bottling, Beautiful, fruity with fresh lemon curd in nose, and tart citrus fruits (lemon/lime), high acid on the palate. I was surprised about by how much more I enjoyed this organic “natural” bottling of the SB over the standard bottling. Bought one to take back to the beach house.
3. Grenache Natural, vintage 2019 [$650 pesos]:
Part of the the grapes are aged 13 months in American oak and the other part 13 months in French oak before blending together for bottling. A bit hazy, with fresh red fruits and spice on the nose. Youthful and nice example of a Grenache.
4. Cabernet Sauvignon, vintage 2018 [$500 pesos]:
Similar to the Grenache noted above, aged 13 months in a mix of French and American Barrels. Red-purple color, ripe red fruits, medium body and texture (Yoel told me 2018 was cold in the valley so the wines have a lighter body however, I did not find it particular light in body). Overall impression was of great balance, very enjoyable wine.
5. “Big Blend”- Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Grenache, vintage 2018 [$650 pesos]:
This wine was not officially in the tasting I reserved. but Yoel felt I needed to try it and I am happy he brought it over for me to taste. Aged 12-13 months in the usual mix of French and American oak., Medium intensity red color, red and purple fruits on the nose with cinnamon spices and black pepper, very well balanced palate with medium/medium+ acidity and medium- tannins. Really liked this wine, was a toss up between this and the cabernet for a spot in the car ride home, and this one won.
Additional notes: The winery has a food truck that is parked outside serving small bites. Yoel tells me they also serve a Rose of Grenache and the regular Sauvignon Blanc by the glass, which is handy to know if you turn up without a reservation and are dying for a drink (as my wife did on a previous visit with her daughter and son-in-law)!
I am currently working from my home in Pennsylvania for my “real job” so taking me longer to find time to add more notes, but will try to continue on a regular basis and will be returning to the Baja beach house in November and will hit more wineries that trip. One more winery and some miscellaneous wine bottles tasted at local restaurants, etc. from the last trip to come in the near term…
Salud!
Steve
Baja Wine Geek 