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Month: March 2016

Cavas Sol y Barro

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The drive up to Cavas Sol y Barro.

Cavas Sol y Barro Winery

Cavas Sol y Barro Winery

 

Cavas Sol y Barro Winery

Cavas Sol y Barro Winery

 

Cavas Sol y Barro Winery

Cavas Sol y Barro Winery

The tasting room of Cavas Sol y Barro is very nice.

The Tasting Room at Cavas Sol y Barro

The Tasting Room at Cavas Sol y Barro

 

The Tasting Room at Cavas Sol y Barro

The Tasting Room at Cavas Sol y Barro

The first wine we tasted was the Solybarro Grenache Cabernet Sauvignon 2013. Sorry for the blurry photo, it was not because of all the previous tastings.

Solybarro Grenache Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Solybarro Grenache Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Retail price: MX$330
Grapes:Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon
Comments: Ruby Red, good legs
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

The next wine was the Solybarro Barbera Nebbiolo 2013.

Solybarro Barbera Nebbiolo 2013

Solybarro Barbera Nebbiolo 2013

Retail price: MX$420
Grapes:Barbera and Nebbiolo
Comments: Light legs, dark ruby red, musty, yeasty, dry but young to the taste.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.

The final wine was the Malvoiste (Pinot Gris) 2015.

Solybarro Malvoisie (Pinot Gris) 2015

Solybarro Malvoisie (Pinot Gris) 2015

Retail price: MX$270
Grapes: Pinot Gris
Comments: Very young, aroma very floral, somewhat sweet, with a little blush.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.

website: www.cavasolybarro.com.mx but this does not work
facebook: None
Telephone: +52 (646) 118 5313
Wine maker: Aimé Desponds
Address: Carretera Ensenada – Tecate Km. 87

Vinícola 3 Mujeres

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3 Mujeres is a very interesting winery which Ivette Vaillart started 17 years ago and 10 years ago they started selling them to the public.

The current portfolio of wines from 3 Mujeres

The current portfolio of wines from 3 Mujeres and a nice art piece made by Ivette

The first wine we sampled was the La Mezcla Mestiza 2012.

La Mezcla Mestiza 2013

La Mezcla Mestiza 2013

Retail price: MX$ 250
Grapes: Genache, Zinfandel and Carignan from France
Comments: Light, fruity but a bit young.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The second wine was the La Mezcla del Rancho 2013

La Mezcla del Rancho 2013

La Mezcla del Rancho 2013

Retail price: MX$250
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon and Garache
Comments: Dry, slight fruit, alcohol, lighter color.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.

We also sampled the ISME 2013, but I did not get a photo of the individual bottle.

Retail price: MX$250
Grapes: Merlot
Comments: Light color, fruity , smooth, Elegent, similar to a Sonoma County Merlot.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The current portfolio of wines from 3 Mujeres

The current portfolio of wines from 3 Mujeres

website: None
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3MujeresVinicola/
Telephone: +52 (646) 171 5674
Wine maker: Ivette Vaillart and Eva Cotero
Address: Km. 87 Carretera Tecate-Ensenada

Malva Restaurante

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Malva Restaurante is a small location that seats only 24 people or so. The chef Roberto Alcocer has done a great job in developing this restaurant which is focused on food native to the Baja California area. The only difficult thing we encountered with the restaurant is that when you are coming to the entrance off of the main highway you need to take a left turn across a very busy and what looked like dangerous curve. Luckily for us there was no other cars coming down the hill so we were able to enter quickly and easily.

The restaurant is a very open layout with basically only one wall, which is adorned by some beautiful street art or murals, however you would classify it.

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Beautiful Street Art on the only wall in the restaurant

 

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More on the street art

The restaurant embraces the natural setting of the restaurant and there is only limited lighting. Since the restaurant was fairly busy I kept my flash turned off on my camera so the images are not of the highest quality that I would typically strive for, but I think they present the quality of the food and the artistic styling well.

We started with the Sopas de Carnitas.

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Sopas de Carnitas

All of the soaps we’re awesome and the salsa of parsley was very good.

We then moved on to the Platon de Queso del Rancho (local cheese platter). The presentation was very artistic and the cheeses were excellent.

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Platon de Queso del Rancho

The cheeses were very fresh, quite moist and flavorful. The smokey cheese had a dry mouth feel, but were equally good.

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Platon de Queso del Rancho

I was looking forward to the Ash and Onion cheese, but this was the only one that did not exude much flavor, so it was a bit of a let down for me.

We then moved on to our main plates, where Jo Ann had the Pesca del Dia which was a MahiMahi on a bed of mushrooms. She really enjoyed the mail and felt that the salsa was outstanding. Sadly it was too dark for me to get a good photograph of this meal.

For my main course, I had the Castilla Carjada (Beef Short Rib). This meal was absolutely perfect and I do not rate mainly plates at restaurants as a 5 out of 5. Well done.

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Costilla Carjada

We finished our meal up with a plate of ice creams which included Popcorn, Smoky, Rosemary and Goat Cheese. The smokey was very good, but the others were a little icy almost like a sorbet.

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Plato de helado

The wine list was complete and represented a number of the wineries in the area. We did share a bottle of Amando IV from Viñas de Garza. The wine sold for MX$800 and was very good. However it really should have been decanted but we had to pour it from the bottle. The wine is very complex and a full body taste.

Overall I found Malva to be the best restaurant in the Valle de Guadalupe.

The service was great and I enjoyed being able to watch the line working away in the open kitchen.

Direccion: Km 96 carretera Ens Tecate, 22755 San Antonio De Las Minas, Baja California, Mexico

Reservas: +52 (646) 155 30 85 / (646) 190 72 78 o por correo a ralcocer07@gmail.com

Facebook: MALVA Cocina de Baja California

Viñas de Garza

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You arrive at Viñas de Garza in a beautifully maintained facility. We were very impressed by the commitment to eco-friendly techniques as well as the architecturally elegant design of the entire location.

The parking lot at Viñas de Garza

The parking lot at Viñas de Garza

Through out the winery there are signs from the older generation of farming and agriculture.

Some old Farm Implements at Viñas de Garza

Some old Farm Implements at Viñas de Garza

 

Some old Farm Implements at Viñas de Garza

Some old Farm Implements at Viñas de Garza

Plus if anyone really knows Jo Ann they know that she loves her rototillers.

Jo Ann loves her rototillers

Jo Ann loves her rototillers

 

2 km/h 2013

2 km/h 2013

The first wine we sampled was the 2013 2km/h.

Retail price: MX$280 (MX$200 at the winery)

Grapes: 70% Tempranillo and 30% Grenache

Comments: Ruby Red, a little cloudy around the edges, big nose, fruity, spicy but a little dry.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Tinta del Rancho Mogorcito 2012

Tinto del Rancho Mogorcito 2012

The next wine was the 2012 Tinto del Rancho Mogorcito.

Retail price: MX$400 (MX$300 at the winery)

Grapes: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot

Comments: Good legs, cordovan chocolate color, dark fruit, a little spice, little tannin, but dry.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Colina Norte 2009

Colina Norte 2009

The third wine was the 2009 Colina Norte.

Retail price: MX$560 (MX$500 at the winery)

Grapes: 60% Tempranillo, 25% Cariñena and 15% Grenache

Comments: Lots of legs, deep ruby color, some floating sentiment. Dark fruit aroma, raspberry, a little smoky. Elegant, smooth, vanilla and dry taste.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Amado IV 2009

Amado IV 2009

The final wine was the 2009 Amado IV.

Retail price: MX$620 (MX$500 at the winery)

Grapes: Cabernet, Merlot, Tempranillo, Zinfandel

Comments: Dark Ruby, many but small forming legs, dark plum, very dry, lots of tannin, black pepper. My belief is that this wine will need to be decanted for 20 to 30 minutes prior to drinking.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

We truly loved all four of the wines and bought some of each to have shipped home. Also the staff at the winery were very pleasant as well as Amado Garza who we talked with for a while about his wines.

As you leave the property, you will see these two interesting buildings. We kept wondering what was housed there, the owners or….

Some very interesting buildings down the road from Viñas de Garza

Some very interesting buildings down the road from Viñas de Garza

the owners wine cellar?

Some very interesting buildings down the road from Viñas de Garza

Some very interesting buildings down the road from Viñas de Garza

website: www.vinosdegarza.com
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vinosdegarza
Telephone: +52 (646) 116 7365
Wine maker: Amado Garza
Address: Carr. Ensenada – Tecate, km 87, Valle de Guadalupe, Ensenada, Baja California

Beauty Can Be Bland But Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream Always Saves The Day

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Yesterday we set out to make this wonderful looking open faced lasagna with melted cheese and sliced asparagus, all topped with an asparagus salad. The finished plate is shown below.

The assembled meal, looks beautiful but tasted bland

The assembled meal, looks beautiful but tasted bland

First we made pasta for the lasagna sheets by hand, which is something I find so peaceful to make. The nice thing is that we only needed six sheets so we were able to make enough other pasta that it will last us a week or two.

Then we moved on to slicing the parmesan and the asparagus.

Shaved Asparagus and Parmesan

Shaved Asparagus and Parmesan

While I was doing the above, Jo Ann was making the asparagus salad that will top the lasagna as well as buttering the cookie sheet we will bake them on.

Asparagus Salad

Asparagus Salad

We then preheated the BBQ for almost 20 minutes to get it up to 500° so we could cook the lasagna sheets and asparagus as well as melt the cheese.

Open Faced Lasagne with melted cheese and asparagus

Open Faced Lasagne with melted cheese and asparagus

The end result was a beautiful looking meal, but one that I will never make again. Very bland although we can see a number of alternative toppings to use on the grilled lasagna sheets.

The assembled meal, looks beautiful but tasted bland

The assembled meal, looks beautiful but tasted bland

Of course after so much work, we were feeling fairly down. However earlier in the day we had made both home made Vanilla Ice Cream (thank you David Lebovitz for the wonderful cook book “The Perfect Scoop”) and Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte from Food 52. Thankfully, chocolate and vanilla ice cream can save just about any down day!

Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte with Home Made Vanilla Ice Cream

Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Chocolate Oblivion Truffle Torte with Home Made Vanilla Ice Cream

Cavas del Mogor

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After visiting the organic farmers market we walked over to the tasting room for Cavas del Mogor. The facility is beautiful and the commitment to quality is very good.

Down in the cava of el Mogor.

Down in the cava of el Mogor.

 

Inside the storage area of El Mogor

Inside the storage area of El Mogor

 

Inside the storage area of El Mogor

Inside the storage area of El Mogor

 

Barrels of el Mogor

Barrels of el Mogor

 

Bottle Storage

Bottle Storage

 

Barrels of el Mogor

Barrels of el Mogor

 

Barrels of el Mogor

Barrels of el Mogor

We sampled the three wines of the winery. The first was the 2014 Perinea Blanco which is a light wine wine. We then followed this with the 2013 Perinea, which is a mix of French and Mexican grapes.

Pirineo 2013

Pirineo 2013

We then finished our tasting with the wine of the house, the 2012 Mogor-Badan. The wine maker of this vintage was Natalia’s brother who has since passed on.

Here is a photo of him.

The former vitner of el Mogor

The former vitner of el Mogor

 

Mogor-Badan 2012

Mogor-Badan 2012

website: None
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CavasDelMogor
Telephone: +52 (646) 146 0728
email: natalia_badan@hotmail.com
Wine maker: Hugo D’Acosta
Address: Carretera Tecate – Ensenada km 85.5, Valle de Guadalupe, Ensenada, Baja California

Perinea Blanco 2014

Retail price:MX$200
Grapes: 50% Macabeo and 50% Carignana Blanc
Comments: Light with some citrus taste
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.

Perinea 2013

Retail price: MX$300
Grapes: Mezcla franco mexican. Around 40 to 50% of the grapes come from France.
Comments: Light but can pair with most foods.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Mogor-Badan 2012

Retail price: MX$450
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot
Comments: This is the wine of the house as the wine maker was Natalia’s brother before he died. One year in French Oak and two years in the bottle.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Alximia Vino Elemental

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After our great visit at Rancho Cortés, we stopped in to Alximia, which uses the concept of Alchemy in the name of the winery and various elements in the naming of their wines.

Alximia Vino Elemental

Alximia Vino Elemental

Jo Ann have always had a special place in our hearts for Paris and seeing the winery made us both remember the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

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Alximia Vino Elemental Tasting Room and Production Facility

 

The Tasting Room of Alximia

The Tasting Room of Alximia and Some Old Farm Equipment

I enjoyed some of the artistic placement of the old farm equipment and the machines for crushing and de-stemming of the grapes.

Waiting to be used again.

Waiting to be used again.

 

Waiting to be used again.

Waiting to be used again.

We never asked what la Terrace was, but we believe it is the restaurant that is on site. We never visited it so we can not comment on the quality or the offerings.

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La Terrasse San Roman

Alximia has a very extensive wine list. The prices at the winery are less than what you can buy them for on the web site so I have included the retail price below from the web site, but you can see there is a slight discount if you go to the winery.

The Wines of Alximia

The Wines of Alximia

 

The Wines of Alximia

The Wines of Alximia

Talisman 2014 

Retail price: MX$220
Grape: 100% Viognier
Comments: Spicy, long legs, straw like aroma.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Senda 2013

Retail price: MX$349
Grapes: Petit Verdot (Valle de Santo Tomas), Zinfandel (Valle de Guadalupe), Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo (Valle de Guadalupe)
Comments: Alcohol 13.9% Pairs with meat, earthy with long legs. Aged 12 months in French oak barrels. Intense violet red color.
Rating: 3.0 out of 5.

Magma 2012

Retail price: MX$625
Grapes: ⅔ Carignana, ⅓ Grenache
Comments: 13 months in French oak barrels. Balanced, sassy but classy. Deep red, long legs, less tannins, won a double gold metal.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Pira 2012

Retail price: MX$625
Grapes: 100% Barbera
Comments: Long legs, but a short finish. 15 months in French oak barrels. Deep ruby red color.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

website: www.alximia.com
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alximia
Telephone: +52 (646) 151 9363
email: info@alximia.com
Wine maker: Álvaro Alvarez Parrilla
Address: Tercería al Tigre km. 3, San Antonio de las Minas, Ensenada, Baja California

Organic Farmers Market at El Mogor

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On Saturdays and Wednesdays there is an organic farmers market head at El Mogor which starts around 11a. The farm is beautiful and well maintained and the selection of produce and other prepared foods is very nice. We stopped in on both Saturday and Wednesday and did not see any real difference in the availability of the products.

Especially if you are staying in a home where you will be able to prepare your meals, this is an excellent farmer’s market to stop at and pick up your produce, breads, cheese, etc.

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

 

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

 

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

 

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

 

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

 

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

 

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

The Organic Farm at El Mogor

Cremeria Los Globos

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We were also told to visit a second cremeria that is actually located in Ojos Negros but which has a tienda on the main road at the entrance of the Valle de Guadalupe in the pueblo of San Antonio. The cremeria is called Cremeria Los Globos and the Tienda is this nondescript building with a sign above it “Tienda de Vinos y Quesos”. Actually it looks like a tourist trap but it is a must stop and sample place.

Cremeria Los Globos Tienda de Quesos y Vinos

Cremeria Los Globos Tienda de Quesos y Vinos

Since this was a Saturday around 1p, it was too busy to take good notes about each cheese, so I will just let me images speak for themselves.

Queso de Parmesan

Queso de Parmesan

 

Queso Añejo

Queso Añejo

 

Unknown flavor

Unknown flavor

 

We can't recall what this one was

We can’t recall what this one was

 

Queso Fresco

Queso Fresco

 

Queso Adobe

Queso Adobe

 

Queso de Romero

Queso de Romero

 

Queso de Aceitunas

Queso de Aceitunas

 

Queso de Aceitunas

Queso de Aceitunas

 

Queso de Chipotle

Queso de Chipotle

Matriz Cremeria Los Globos:
Mercado de Abastos Los Globos, Ensenada B.C.
+52 646 120 5092

Tienda de Quesos y Vinos:
La Ruta del Vino, Cnsenada B.C.
+52 646 155 3158

Rancho Cortés

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We had been told by many people that we needed to visit Rancho Cortés to sample their cheese and olive oils. However there is no one person who seems to know exactly where this rancho is located. Driving around Mex4 we finally talked to someone who knew where it was and gave us good directions.

This is a family owned farm dating back 40 years ago. The father who started this farm, actually went over to France to learn the art of cheese making as well as to buy French cows to be used in the cheese making process.

The Cavas of Rancho Cortez

The Cavas of Rancho Cortez

We started with some of their Queso Fresca, which is aged in the cava for one month. It is a soft cheese but very good.

We then moved on to trying their Gouda cheese. These use cultures from Europe and are a much firmer cheese.

The Queso de Gouda at Rancho Cortéz

The Queso de Gouda at Rancho Cortéz

The third cheese we based was Queso de Guadalupe which uses a mold aging process, is more flavorful and also uses cultures from Europe.

Queso de Guadalupe at Rancho Cortés

Queso de Guadalupe at Rancho Cortés

We then moved on to the Queso Añejo which is the gouda but aged much longer. Excellent.

Queso Añejo at Rancho Cortés

Queso Añejo at Rancho Cortés

The final cheese we tasted was the Queso de Parmesan which is aged 8 months, although in most years it is aged one year. The reason that this was less than the normal aging time is just because the cheese has been in such demand that they sold out of the last production batch and they felt that the cheese had aged sufficiently. It was excellent.

Queso de Parmesan

Queso de Parmesan

So after buying a number of these pieces, we then tried their olive oil, which we found to be very good and very reasonably priced.

Misiones de Baja California, the olive oil of Rancho Cortez

Misiones de Baja California, the olive oil of Rancho Cortez

Rancho Cortés

Phone: +52 (646) 113-4425