2025 Monte Xanic, Chenin Blanc, Baja California, Mexico

ABOUT THIS WINE

This wine is a blend of 95% Chenin Blanc, 5% Colombard from 2 vineyards: the Valle de Guadalupe vineyards, specifically the 7 Leguas vineyard, and Valle de Ojos Negros, specificallt eh Kompali vineyards. The Leguas vineyard is at an elevation of 984 ft. The vines were planted in 1997 in what are mainly sandy soils. The Kompali vineyard sits at an elevation of 2253 ft. Vines here were planted in 2019 in soils of sand mixed with some clay. The grapes were harvested by hand on August 26th in Valle de Guadalupe, and September 17th in Ojos Negros for the Chenin blanc and October 10th for the Colombard. After a gentle press, the juice was left to ferment in stainless steel tanks at low temperatures for a period of 2 weeks. The wine was left to settle for 4 months before bottling. 

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Monte Xanic winery was founded in 1987 by Hans Backoff and 4 of his friends. The current winemaker is Valle de Guadalupe local, Oscar Gaona. This was th first boutique winery in the region, and is the leader in innovation and wine technology in the valley.

While the winery is located in Valle de Guadalupe, the estate has vineyards at the winery proper as well as vineyard sites in other sections of Valle de Guadalupe, and significant holdings in Valle de Santos Tomas and Valle de Ojos Negros. The vineyard sites in Valle de Guadalupe range from 950 to 1050 ft, the Santo Tomas vineyards at 900 ft and the Valle de Ojos Negros at 1,800 ft. The soils here are all a mix of granite, clay and decomposed sandstone. 

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.