The Viñas del Tigre Estate
Founded: 2006 by the Quesada Lucero family
Winery location: The winery and their vineyards are located in Valle del Tigre approximately 2 miles from the Pacific Ocean. All red grapes are sourced from their estate vineyards.
Region and grape source: Various (see below)
Vineyard location, elevation and grape varieties:
- Valle del Tigre – Estate vineyards planted in 2006 at an elevation of 850 ft - (Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Merlot, Malbec, Missión, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Moscato). Soil is a combination of clay, sand and river rocks and a substantial amount of organic matter.
- Valle de Guadalupe – Magoni Ranch planted in the 1940s at an elevation of 1150 ft. (Colombard and Chardonnay). Abandoned before Aldo brought it back to life. Soil is a combination of clay and granite.
- Valle San Quintin - (Malbec) 3 hectares of vines planted in 2015 at an elevation 280 ft in clay and sandy soils. Organically farmed.
- Valle de la Grulla - (Missión) 2 hectares of vines planted in 2016 at an elevation of 920 ft in soil of silt and clay. Organically farmed.
Winemaker: Aldo C. Quesada Lucero - Mexican
Notes:
- A farmer by trade, Aldo considers his principal task to care and nurture the soil, stating that it is the soil that takes care of the plant – as long as you care for the soil, the plant will be taken care of.
- Aldo is the kind of person in whom there is no fine line between everyday living and a “spiritual” life. Everything he does is imbued with a consciousness of the global intentions he has in mind. He believes this has an enormous effect on everything from the compost he makes on site to the way the fermentations progress in his wines. An interesting consideration when you taste his wines. - When asked to summarize the ethos of his estate Aldo says, “Love, respect and care for the environment that drives a constant seeking for sustainability and dictates that their production will always remain small without the use of chemicals of any kind.
Total Production: 600 cases, 4 wines
2023 Zopilote - Vinos Del Tigre
Tasting Notes and Drinking Window:
A wine from Viñas del Tigre that changes completely from vintage to vintage, Zopilote is the Tigre label which he uses to take advantage of whatever unique situation the vintage produces without being beholden to the more consistent and rigid approach he takes with his other wines. In 2023, he had an opportunity to buy grapes from two organically farmed vineyards located at the base of the Sierra de Juarez national park south of Valle de San Vicente that he hadn’t worked with before, but which he immediately fell in love with. In this vintage the wine is a claret (a blend of red and white grapes) resulting in a light-bodied and wildly complex red wine. Since the Zopilote label is always dedicated to the best grapes of the season, it’s always a delight but this vintage is really a fantastic iteration.
109 cases made (40 allocated to the US)
Drinking Window: upon release – 4 yearsVintage:
2023
Blend:
70% Malbec, 30% Moscatel
Producer:
Vinos del Tigre
Winemaker:
Aldo C. Quesada Lucero - Mexican
Vineyards:
A small privately owned organic ranch at the base of the Sierra de Juarez national park south of Valle de San Vicente. Vines were planted in 2018. Soil is a mix of sand and iron rich red clay.
Winemaking:
Harvested on September 27th by hand in small lots to prevent bruising. The grapes were cofermented in stainless steel with partial addition of the skins of the Moscatel (for 3 days) then racked off the skins and left to compete fermentation over an additional 21 days. After racking off the lees, the wine was left in the tank for the next 6 months to settle and complete malolactic fermentation before bottling.
Like all wines from Vinos del Tigre, the fermentation was carried out with native yeast, never received corrections of any kind, was not fined or filtered, and never saw sulfites at any point in the process.
Sulfites: No sulfites addedFarming:
organic, sustainable
Alcohol:
12.8%
