Tidings Magazine

Casa de Piedra: At the forefront of terroir

The Guadalupe Valley has no greater “terroirist” than winemaker Hugo D’Acosta. A self-appointed ambassador for the region, D’Acosta tirelessly promotes the idiosyncrasy of Baja’s wine region in his wines, in the winemaking seminars he orchestrates yearly and in his ability to convince international partners to fund his wine ambitions. His Casa de Piedra produces only a small-batch Chardonnay and a Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon blend that both command a high price but tend to sell out before they’ve finished fermenting!

D’Acosta and partners recently acquired 450 acres of vineyards previously controlled by Domecq and LA Cetto. The new vineyard, Paralelo, lies deeper in the valley and includes Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Barbera, Merlot and Petite Sirah. It will likely give him a lot more material to draw on than his boutique winery does, though he says he’s looking forward to uncovering the subtleties that the additional distance from the coast and its cool ocean breeze will yield in the Paralelo Chardonnay and Tempranillo/Cabernet blends.

A roadside stop for fish tacos later, we still had twenty wineries to choose from along a twenty-five-kilometre stretch of road. It was time to put the Chevy to the test and set off through quasi-otherworldly scenery along a bumpy but irresistible dirt road.

Château Camou: The sophisticated art of wines

Set at the foot of jagged hills, Château Camou’s imposing architectural style harks back to the days of whitewashed adobe and heavy carved wooden doors. Much less daunting was the welcome we received — so encouraging in fact that, having the place to ourselves, we boldly opted for the full-out tasting of seven wines.

Between sips, we learned that Château Camou is run according to “French principles”: intensive vineyard-maintenance techniques, grapes harvested by hand, carefully controlled pre-fermentation temperatures for the grapes and more. The vineyards here and elsewhere in the Guadalupe Valley benefit from its east–west orientation, which allows the Pacific breeze to be funnelled directly through it. The microclimate, reminiscent of what you’ll find in the Mediterranean regions, is one of intense daytime heat and cool evening air. The resulting low yields do indeed produce deeply concentrated fruit: at Camou, 90 acres of land result in a modest 15,000 cases a year.

The whites (a 2003 Blanc de Blancs and a 1999 Château Camou) are particularly successful — both blends of Chenin/Semillon Blanc/Chardonnay were lively, balanced and had a smooth finish; they both showed clear pineapple and melon, though the 1999 also featured hints of lemon, mint and vanilla. The Flor de Guadalupe reds were disappointing, though: we couldn’t discern the promised red fruits and roses in the 2002 Claret, being hit instead with not-so-smooth tannins and an overarching briny whiff. Just how close were we to the Pacific? Château Camou really does come into its own with its eponymous 2001 line, however. These Gran Vinos lay claim to the floral and red ripe fruit aromas we’ve come to expect from a Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc/Merlot blend — the additional cassis, coffee and spice flavours gave these wines a mellow but long finish. Our favourite though was the 2001 Zinfandel — a full-bodied, deep red with some darker tones and some excellent fruit, mint and chocolate aromas.

Viña de Liceaga: Mexican fine wines

This small husband-and-wife operation lies at the entrance to the valley close to the Pacific. The elevated terrain creates apparently ideal growing conditions for the varieties they’ve chosen to showcase. The Liceagas have ambitious plans to be producing 10,000 cases a year before 2010. Let’s hope they do: we found their two Reserva Merlot/Cabernet Franc blends to be elegant, well-structured and reminiscent of French Bordeaux, though one is aged in American oak while the other lies in French oak for two years. The Castillo de las Minas white (a Chenin Blanc varietal) and the red (a fruity and vanilla-tinged Grenache/Merlot/Cabernet Franc) were equally pleasant and well-balanced.

Our detour via the Ruta del Vino was full of impromptu surprises. Wines were elegant, fruit-forward numbers whose sophistication, length and variety almost never failed to impress; not as jammy and big-and-bold as their northern California counterparts, they seem closer to structured Italian and Spanish numbers. The producers still answer their own phones if you feel the need to call ahead. The industry works actively to show off its Old World roots. Be prepared to embrace rustic charm, spontaneous hospitality, an utter lack of pretension and … amusing suggestions on how to smuggle cases of must-have wine back across the border.

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