Baja California

México

See detail of Baja California

DESCRIPTION

It is known as the wine belt because it is responsible for about 85% of Mexico's wine production. It is located in the extreme northwest of Mexico, between California and the Tropic of Cancer.

No. hectares of vineyards: 2,551 - Altitude range: between 200 meters and 900 meters in the Ojos Negros Valley.

PREDOMINANT VARIETIES

Reds: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, nebbiolo and barbera.

Whites: chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc.

CLIMATE AND SOILS

The climate is Mediterranean type with humid winters, hot summers tempered by cool winds from the Pacific Northwest and a low rainfall regime, which in some cases results in the need to use irrigation in the vineyard. In the Baja California vineyard, as a result of the oceanic influence, there are large differences between daytime and nightime temperatures, which will favor the correct ripening process of the grapes.

The proximity of the vineyard to the Pacific Ocean gives its wines a very peculiar touch of salinity, the result of the coming and going of the sea winds that manage to calm the temperatures, transforming a warm climate into a temperate one. Although there are a variety of soils in Baja California, the most common are sandy-clay soils.

PRODUCING AREAS

Baja California's vineyards are concentrated within a 90 kilometer radius of the city of Ensenada. The most important producing valleys are Valle de Guadalupe, Valle de Calafia, Valle de Santo Tomás, Valle de San Vicente and Valle de San Antonio de las Minas.

SAN VICENTE VALLEY: It is located 90 kilometers south of Ensenada, with altitudes ranging from 350 meters to 420 meters above sea level. It is the closest valley to the coast - the ocean is only 11 kilometers away - so the marine influence will be more marked than in the rest of the valleys of Baja California. It has the advantage of having a small mountain range located between the ocean and the valley's vineyard, which avoids the massive entry of humidity. The wines of this valley have mineral nuances thanks to its clay-ferrous soils.

VALLE DE OJOS NEGROS: It is located towards the interior of the peninsula, about 30 km from Ensenada. This valley has an altitude of 800 meters above sea level and its soils are sandy-clay. Currently there is only one producer in the area and that is Bodega San Rafael. Average temperatures during the ripening process range from 15º to 35ºC.

SANTO TOMÁS VALLEY: 45 kilometers south of Ensenada. This valley has very deep clay soils. Its climate is characterized by very hot summers, with highs of around 40ºC, which translates into fleshy wines, dominated by very ripe and even candied fruit.

VALLE DE SAN ANTONIO DE LAS MINAS: located northwest of Ensenada, it extends continuously to the beginning of the Guadalupe Valley. Its vineyard is mainly located on a piedmont with rich granite soil. Its climate is very similar to that of the famous Guadalupe Valley, except that its proximity to the sea tempers its daytime and nighttime temperatures.

VALLE DE GUADALUPE: the best known of all, it is located 25 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, which will have a notable influence on the vineyard and therefore on the wine. A great diversity of soils converge here depending on its location and altitude, although the dominant edaphology is clayey on the granitic slopes that make up the valleys and very sandy in the central part, where the river furrows run. This valley has a peculiarity that makes it different from the rest, and that is the salinity of the water used to irrigate their fields. This water, in rainy years, will be less concentrated and will give the wine mineral sensations with saline notes in the mouth. On the other hand, in very dry years, the salts in the water will be concentrated, hindering the ripening of the grapes and providing excessively marked saline notes. The Valley is characterized by very hot summers, with temperatures around 35-40ºC during the day and 15-20ºC at night. Some summers a climatic phenomenon called the Santana effect can occur, which is the entry of very hot and dry desert winds from the interior of the country (Sonora area), similar to the Saharan calima. In these years, the grapes suffer a heat stroke that blocks and paralyzes them, so it is necessary to be very attentive to irrigation, since the grapes could lose their water concentration very quickly and overripen.

VALLE DE LA GRULLA: located in the foothills of the Sierra de San Pedro Martir, just 30 kilometers south of Ensenada. The vineyard sits on very sandy soils on the surface and clay in the middle layers. The presence of a crevice or gorge in the sierra allows cool, moist ocean winds to enter the valley, making it the coolest valley in Baja California. The excellent climatic and geographic qualities of the valley make it a producing area with great potential. The vineyard's need for water is supplied by its proximity to the sierra, which naturally nourishes the vineyard with water.

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