Vinos Pijoan 'El Carbónico' Valle de Guadalupe 2023

Did you know that modern day Mexico is the oldest wine-growing region in the Americas and was also home to the first commercial winery outside of Europe? While indigenous grapes existed prior to the Spaniards arrival in the 16th century, natives were not fermenting grapes into wine until after the Spanish conquest. So why haven’t we really heard about Mexican wine? Well, to avoid competition, the Spanish crown decreed in 1699 that Mexico was prohibited from making wine unless it was for use by the church. It wasn’t until Mexican independence in 1821 that restrictions were lifted. Since then, Mexico has experienced ebbs and flows of adoration on the international market but we are currently seeing a mass upheaval of preconceived notions regarding an area in the throes of a natural winemaking renaissance. Cue up Vinos Pijoan, an estate run by classical dancer turned sommelier turned winemaker, Silvana Pijoan. The daughter of the original founder, Pau Pijoan, she is dedicated to low-intervention winemaking, organic farming, and honoring the history of the land and the grapes of her ancestors. The ‘El Carbonico’ is a spontaneous co-fermention of grenache, syrah, and tempranillo hailing from 20-year-old vines on clay, sand, and granitic soils. Fermented and aged in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts, the wine is unfined and unfiltered with no added SO2. Honest and unassuming, the wine has a certain raw authenticity that is somehow familiar and foreign all at once. Think beef jerky and mesquite BBQ alongside a strawberry mezcal margarita. Salty and savory with bright pops of fruit and just barely medium in body. Organically grown, low-intervention/natural wine, vegan.