The Monte Xanic Estate
- Monte Xanic is heralded as the first boutique winery in Mexico, established in 1988. The story goes that this move, (and Monte Xanic's subsequent success) played a major role in starting a trend towards grape farmers making wine from their own grapes rather than raising grapes for sale.
- With a large quantity of land under vine in all the major wine growing valleys of the region, they are by far the most prolific of the boutique wineries in the region.
- Their vineyard sites are farmed sustainably, and their winery operates as a model of modern ecofriendly design.
- The estate weds advanced technology with old world wisdom, such as harvesting all their white grapes by hand at night in order to maintain maximum freshness and acidity.
- The "X" in Xanic is pronounced like a "sh", so Xanic sounds like "shan-eek". Xanic is the name of the white flower that is one of the first to bloom in spring in Valle de Guadalupe. When the spring rains are just right, the mountainside behind the winery is cloaked in their blooms.
Total production: 18 wines, 100,000 cases
2023 Viña Kristel - Monte Xanic
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
Monte Xanic’s 2023 Viña Kristel is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc that comes from the single vineyard named after the owner’s daughter “Kristel”. Originally planted by Russian pacifists that escaped violence in their homeland during the Bolshevik Revolution in the early 1900’s, the vineyard boasts vines up to 80 years old. Year in and year out this is a gem of the Monte Xanic lineup, and this vintage is an excellent example. At .8% less alcohol than the previous vintage, the acidity is better and the overall expression more tightly wound in the most satisfying of ways.
10,000 cases made
Drinking window: Now – 5 yearsVintage:
2023
Blend:
100% Sauvignon Blanc
Producer:
Monte Xanic
Winemaker:
Oscar Gaona - Mexican, lives in Valle de Guadalupe
Vineyards:
Granite and clay mix in a vineyard site with an average vine age of 70 years.
Aging:
Fermented in stainless steel tanks for 2 weeks then cold stabilized and aged for 6 months in stainless steel.
Sulfites 30 PPM
Farming:
Sustainable
Alcohol:
12.2%
