Dominio de las Abejas Estate
Founded: 2015 by Mauricio Ruiz and family
Winemaker: Mauricio Ruiz (Mexican born, lives part time in Ensenada and part time in Australia where he runs two other organic biodynamic natural wineries
Winery location: Valle de Ojos Negros, Baja California
Region and grape source: Las Abejas is a concept winery that was started based on choosing the best possible piece of land for growing grapes in anticipation of climate change. Their search alighted on a piece of land in the high elevation Valle de Ojos Negros in Baja California, located just south and slightly inland from Valle de Guadalupe. Priority was placed on organic certification since the beginning, and the vineyards are certified organic by the CCOF. All grapes in their wines come from estate vineyards.
Vineyard location, elevation and grape varieties: The las Abejas vineyard is located in a very unique section of Valle de Ojos Negros that was once a marsh, (when the water table was much higher than it is now). The marsh was a resource for untold generations of migratory waterfowl all of which left deposits that enriched the soil. The marsh was gone long before they purchased the land, but the signature of this period is left in the rich and unique composition of the soil which has far more organic content than the surrounding area. At 2,200 ft in elevation, the main challenge of growing grapes here is the threat of frost during the growing season. They grow 10 grape varieties: Nebbiolo, Grenache, Nero D' Avola, Cinsault, Carignan, Chardonnay, Marsanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard, and Zinfandel.
Notes:
- The wines of las Abejas are made naturally. Ambient yeast fermentation, no corrections or additions, no filtration or fining and only a 30 ppm sulfite addition at bottling. This absolute gem of an estate is one of only a handful of organic certified vineyards in Mexico making 100% natural wine that is clean and precise, showing no faults of any kind. Their creations are at the top level of natural wines worldwide.
Total Production: 5 wines 3,400 cases
2023 Nectar de Campo - Dominio de las Abejas
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
All of the wines in the lineup from Dominio de Las Abejas are best summed up by a single word “delicious” as their balance of fruit, tannin, texture, and persistence all seems to perfectly tweak the pleasure dial to 11. In this vintage of their only red blend, we find all of the lusciousness and complexity of the previous vintages with an added bright high note of structure that gives it a slightly more serious tone. Beautifully layered and built to impress any pallet, those looking to explore natural wines and not loose contact with terra firma need look no further.
777 cases made
Drinking window: upon release - 10 years
Vintage:
2023
Blend:
64% Grenache, 36% Nero d'Avola
Producer:
Dominio de las Abejas
Winemaker:
Mauricio Ruiz - Mexican
Vineyards:
Valle de Ojos Negros - Estate vineyards planted in 2015 at an elevation of 2,200 ft in a unique section of the valley that was once a marsh. Vineyards are certified organic by the CCOF.
Winemaking:
Nectar de Campo translates to “nectar of the fields” in English, and as the name states this wine is a blend of all of the red grapes from the winery’s estate vineyards except the Nebbiolo. All grapes were picked on the same day and cofermented on native yeast, (some full cluster) for a period of 12 days in stainless steel tanks. The wine was then pressed from the skins and left to age on the lees for a period of 6 months in stainless tanks before being bottled without filtration or fining.
Sulfites: 30 ppm
Farming:
Organic, sustainable
Alcohol:
13.0%
