I’ve long been fascinated by the Mexican wine scene, especially because of its strong Italian connection: Nebbiolo, the noble variety of Barolo and Barbaresco, has a long history in growing zones such as Baja California, having been brought there generations ago by Italian immigrants, and today’s spellbinding rosé comes from another, much-rarer Piedmontese grape, Grignolino.

Leave it to a trio of wine-crazy sommeliers to not only experience Baja viticulture up close but create a wine label to draw more American wine lovers south of the border. Playing off the grape name and their interloper status with “Gringoliño,” Master Sommelier Chris Miller (a frequent SommSelect contributor) and his Tresomm compatriots Taylor Grant and Connor Mitchell pay homage to one of North America’s most unsung wine regions: Baja’s Valle de Guadalupe. Today’s 2019 rosé leans toward the “light red” end of the style spectrum, which is the Grignolino grape’s default mode anyway—you might say that most Grignolino “reds” are glorified rosés, so don’t confuse this one with the pale, coppery produce of Provence. This is deep, spicy, savory rosé with an appetite for gutsy food, whether it’s a tempura-style fish taco in the restaurant-rich town of Ensenada (the gateway to Valle de Guadalupe, just 90 miles south of San Diego), or something fresh off the grill in your backyard. These three sommeliers know what they like and they found the perfect partner to help bring it to life: Camillo Magoni of the Valle de Guadalupe’s acclaimed Casa Magoni. There’s brilliance afoot down Mexico way, and the Tresomm crew wants you to know about it!

As Chris Miller explained when we offered a previous vintage of this wine, TRESOMM was born from an inspirational food-and-wine boondoggle the trio took to Ensenada many years ago. The food in Ensenada would have been worth the trip alone, but as they ventured further inland they became more infatuated with the wines than they expected to be. Their first stop along the Valle de Guadalupe wine route proved fateful: It was Casa Magoni, home of the ageless Camillo Magoni, the Italian-born winemaker emeritus of the region. They struck up a conversation with the tasting room manager (and Magoni’s son-in-law), Julio, and soon they were touring vineyards that contained a surprising (and inspiring) wealth of traditional “European” grape varieties, including not just Grignolino and Nebbiolo but Touriga Nacional, Aligoté, and Syrah.

Camillo Magoni was born in the Valtellina region of Lombardy, Italy, right on the Swiss border. He went to winemaking school in Piedmont, worked back home in Valtellina, then was recruited to come to Mexico in 1965. He has now spent over 50 years cultivating, shaping, and ultimately defining fine wine in the Valle de Guadalupe. As Chris Miller noted, “You’d never guess his age, as he always has a charming schoolboy’s glint in his eye and a mischievous grin spread wide across his face. And this man knows how to make great wine.”

During that fateful first visit, the Tresomm team was treated to an incredible panorama of Casa Magoni wines. Some of the bottles came from an experimental vineyard (75 acres of 70+ Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, etc. varieties) that Camillo had planted starting 45 years ago, just “to see what did well in The Valle.” Some varieties (Aligoté, Falanghina, Touriga Nacional, Aglianico, and Grignolino) really shined, and the American somms were hooked: They just HAD to make some wine here, and so they did.

The vineyard source for today’s wine is sustainably-focused, dry-farmed, and tucked into a northern mini-valley where cool air collects, separating it from the main area of “The Valle.” For the “Gringoliño”, all the grapes are hand-harvested before being brought into the winery. The clusters are direct-pressed, slowly and gently to avoid bitterness and tannin, with a very short maceration period. The wine is spontaneously fermented in stainless steel, before spending a few months in a combination of stainless steel and used barrique barrels. There are no additions or subtractions, with minimal sulfur at bottling. Gringoliño is then bottled young to retain its freshness, and then given a little extra time in the bottle for all the elements to integrate.

Today’s 2019 is a deep salmon-pink in the glass. Floral, fruity, spicy, and refreshing. A whiff of garrigue plays in the background, offsetting its delicate white peach, raspberry and pomegranate notes. A year in the bottle has broadened the wine on the palate, and there’s a slight nip of tannin and some warm spice lending depth and dimension. It is obviously designed to be a spring/summer refresher, but there’s more stuffing here than in your typical “everyday” rosé, so don’t serve it too cold: let the temperature creep up past 50 degrees for maximum aromatic impact. More so than anything else, though, this rosé inspires wanderlust: I can’t tell you how badly I want to get down to Ensenada and see the place for myself. Until then, I’ll try to replicate the Baja fish taco experience at home to satisfy the craving. It’ll do for now. Enjoy!