Monday, July 9, 2007

L.A. Cetto Vineyards

On a recent trip to southern California, I stumbled upon an awesome wine shop in the middle of San Diego's GasLight District: The Wine Bank. The retailer had a large selection of domestic wines, but an even more interesting collection of Mexican tequilas and wine. One of the largest selections of Mexican wines was from L.A. Cetto Vineyards. The winery is located in Col. Lomas de Chapultepec, but the grapes are harvested from vineyards located in the Guadalupe, San Vicente, and Redondo valleys - all in Baja California. L.A. Cetto produces a wide variety of vinifera wines, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Chenin Blanc, and Nebbiolo. Interestingly, all of their wines had won awards in International Competitions and I decided to purchase a bottle of their Nebbiolo Private Reserve after seeing that in 2005 it had won Gold and the Best Red Wine Trophy at the Vinalies Internationales in Paris. The wine was made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes grown in the Guadalupe Valley. The wine was aged a year in French oak and then two additional years in the bottle. The result: an incredibly smooth wine with a vanilla nose, a strong cherry flavor, and a smooth balanced finish. At $15, this wine was also an amazing bargain. For those living on the east coast, I am searching for an east coast retailer that carries L.A. Cetto's wines. I will let you know when I find one.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I grew up in Baja and noe live in Atlanta.
I don't go back home often so I've stated looking for L.A. Cetto wins around here. I'll let you know if Ifind any.

Regards,
Rogelio Hernandez