Vinicola Lomita, Sauvignon Blanc “Discreto Encanto”
Other, Other 2018 (750mL)
Regular price$24.00
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Vinicola Lomita, Sauvignon Blanc “Discreto Encanto”
Just an hour’s drive south of San Diego near Ensenada, 15 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, an irregular patchwork of organic and sustainably farmed vineyards perched at 1,000-feet in elevation are interspersed with five-star resorts and high-end restaurants.
And while the jagged boulders and deep valleys of this region belie the contours of Napa and Sonoma, there is something unmistakably reminiscent of them—like a throwback to 1980s-era Napa, and anyone who goes can’t wait to go back. I’ve been to the Valle many times and there’s something that just captures your soul when you’re there. The intersection of food, culture, and wine has emerged as its own unique, singular experience, and prices for bottles have begun to reach the three-digit mark because of the incredible demand from Mexico City and around the world. But there’s still plenty of value to be found, as today’s 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, called “Discreto Encanto,” so deliciously demonstrates. Crafted by the up-and-coming Vinicola Lomita, this wine immediately become one of my all-time favorites from Baja—a textured Sauvignon Blanc that calls to mind Bordeaux Blanc teased with a gorgeous saline quality. Produced by a Napa icon, winemaker Gustavo González, at $24 this is one white you need to experience from the Valle to understand just what you’re missing!
This 2018 “Discreto Encanto” is a shining example of what’s possible in Valle de Guadalupe: the best whites have a savory component complementing the rich fruit captured by the dry climate and intense luminosity. It is pale lemon in color, revealing green apple skin, pear, and flinty aromas, leading to a full-bodied mouthfeel. More aromas and flavors of yellow mango, gooseberry, lime, wildflowers, and salted lemon meet passion fruit with tons of thirst-quenching freshness—it’s the perfect white to enjoy as the temperatures rise. Serve this at 45-50 degrees in all-purpose white wine stems paired with classic ceviche and tacos, or chicken enchiladas with green tomatillo salsa and melty cheese. This packs in everything I love about the modern-day riches from the Guadalupe Valley and I hope it will infuse your summer nights with just as much joy.
And while the jagged boulders and deep valleys of this region belie the contours of Napa and Sonoma, there is something unmistakably reminiscent of them—like a throwback to 1980s-era Napa, and anyone who goes can’t wait to go back. I’ve been to the Valle many times and there’s something that just captures your soul when you’re there. The intersection of food, culture, and wine has emerged as its own unique, singular experience, and prices for bottles have begun to reach the three-digit mark because of the incredible demand from Mexico City and around the world. But there’s still plenty of value to be found, as today’s 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, called “Discreto Encanto,” so deliciously demonstrates. Crafted by the up-and-coming Vinicola Lomita, this wine immediately become one of my all-time favorites from Baja—a textured Sauvignon Blanc that calls to mind Bordeaux Blanc teased with a gorgeous saline quality. Produced by a Napa icon, winemaker Gustavo González, at $24 this is one white you need to experience from the Valle to understand just what you’re missing!
As the cultural renaissance that’s swept through Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe in the last two decades continues its incredible upward trajectory, the American public is paying closer and closer attention. It’s what happened to Napa 40 years ago. But the history of the Valle goes back much further—owing its name to the missionary founded by Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe in 1834. Grapes have been grown in Mexico since the 1500s, and Baja has emerged as the prime growing region and a real contender on the world wine stage.
The wines can be outrageously delicious and only add to our growing infatuation with all the things we love about Mexican culture—the customs, the Tequila/Mezcal, and cuisine—undeniable pleasures. Tapping into all that is Fernando Pérez Castro, who founded Lomita Winery in 2009. This is a bucket list destination winery for anyone who loves wine, and if you live in the U.S. and want to go to Mexico, you have to visit Baja and stop at Lomita.
Beginning in 2015, Castro’s hard work, dedication to organic farming practices and production of small-lot wines caught the attention of Gustavo González, a decorated winemaker who rose up through the ranks at Robert Mondavi winery over the course of 17 years. He later lent his expertise as a consulting enologist at Tuscany’s Tenuta dell' Ornellaia, where he worked alongside famed Frenchman Michel Rolland and helped earn a 100-point Wine Spectator score for Ornellaia’s 2001 Masseto. González had been searching for a project to pay homage to the country of his parents’ origin, and Lomita, a shining jewel of the Valle de Guadalupe, was it. The state-of-the-art facility boasts modern architecture; a wonderful art collection; and was designed as a free-flow-winery, meaning grapes travel from the vineyard to barrel by gravity only.
As for the Valle itself, vines are rooted in a mix of sandy loam and granite river deposits and mountain erosion, interspersed with red clay. Temperatures fall to 32 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, rising as high as 110 degrees in the summer months. But cooling Pacific breezes (and well-timed irrigation) make possible the production of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Tempranillo for reds, while Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and Chardonnay have the greatest potential for whites.