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The folks at Vena Cava are taking sustainability to a new level with their eclectic new winery built largely of reclaimed, errr, junk. Like the ceiling of their tasting room built of abandoned boats from the port of Ensenada. It's definitely a conversation starter. Let's talk wines. They have some straightforward varietals, like a 100% Granache, but quite a few blends, like an 80% Sauvignon Blanc with 20% Chenin Blanc, or a 50-50 blend of Grenache and Syrah.
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Friendly, unpretentious vineyard owned by the Bibayoff family, Russian Molokans who have operated the rancho since 1931. They produce a range of white and red wines, including an excellent zinfandel and also produce old vine grapes for other wineries.
El Cielo is a large winery, producing over 30,000 cases per year. Their hacienda style facility includes the winery, caves, tasting room, a luxurious boutique hotel, two lakes, and two restaurants: one is an upscale steakhouse, the other a fusion of Baja and Yucatan cuisines. El Cielo produces several levels of wine, the first is made for casual drinking and is typically a younger wine. The Constellations level is more evolved and can stay in the bottle from four to ten years. The Estrellas label represents the premium wines, designed to be cellared and matured from ten to twenty years.
Hilo Negro is an impressive modern glass and steel winery whose aging cave is burrowed into the earth below the restaurant and tasting rooms, elevated on steel girders like a beach house on stilts. The restaurant is called 'emat, a Kumiai word that encompasses the Earth's spirit with a unity of land and water. It's a farm-to-table restaurant using locally grown produce, grass-fed beef, and artesanal cheeses made in the Guadalupe Valley. White wines are made using varietals like Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier and are usually bottled young. The reds use Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo and Syrah and are aged, either in French oak barrels, or in stainless steel and then bottle-aged.
The winery, started in 2014, has been growing into a cluster of buildings that includes the adobe-style tasting room, a restaurant that makes its own ice cream, and a cluster of casitas, cabins that can be rented for overnight (or longer) stays. The winery produces eight standard offerings, each bearing a "Reales" label. Reales #4 is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Reales #5, is a 100% Grenache. Reales #2 is a blend of seven grape varietals, aged 15 months in French and American oak.
This good-size winery produces 5,000 cases per year and features a rooftop garden that's a green oasis, as well as helping to keep the building cool. Finca la Carrodilla began in 2011 and gets its name from La Virgen de la Carrodilla, an Argentinian saint who watches over vineyards. The winery practices sustainable agricultural practices and grows its grapes organically. It is one of the few wineries in the valley that can label wines as "organic". Varietals include Syrah and Chenin Blanc, and the winery produces several blends.
Bright, airy, modern winery just off the busy MEX 3 highway. Surprisingly family friendly with a kids play area and several dishes on a kids menu in the restaurant (most wineries seem to assume that wine drinkers never travel with kids). The winery produces an outstanding Chardonnay and several red wines, including Merlot, Malbec, and Tempranillo.