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Restaurant Eléonore

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It was our last night staying in Monpazier and we decided to have dinner at Restaurant Eléonore. It was a short walk from the house we were staying at, which makes it so nice to be able to enjoy yourself and not worry about the drive home.

I had the à la carte menu with a selection of three plates while Jo Ann had the menu du jour so we were able to have a sample of both menus.

Everything we had that evening was superb and the restaurant has a good (albeit limited) selection of wines from the area and Bordeaux and which were reasonably priced.

The service was outstanding and totally matched the quality of the food and the wine. We strongly recommend this restaurant.

For more information about the restaurant you can check out their website,  The Michelin Guide or TripAdvisor.

Restaurant Eléonore en Monpazier

Mimosa with Quail Egg, Citron Confit and Cavier, a wonderful Amuse Bouche.

Restaurant Eléonore en Monpazier

Queues de Langoustines, with a condiment of mangue-papaye and crème coco au ccombawa.

Restaurant Eléonore en Monpazier

Foie Gras Mi-cuit Eléonore, wiht fine créme carottes and walnut oil dusted with a red wine sea salt. Very Yummy!

Restaurant Eléonore en Monpazier

Choco-Caramel-Café, with a creéme glacé sirop d’érable and noix pécan.

Restaurant Eléonore en Monpazier

Filet de bœf with racines de persil au beurre noisette, white asparagus and a sauce of port and Péridord truffes.

Restaurant Eléonore en Monpazier

Dos de Saumon with perles de Savoie à l’encre de seiche, leeks and ginger done in papillote and a watercress sauce The Perles de Savoie à l’encre de seiche is pearls of black ink pasta

Restaurant Eléonore en Monpazier

Pears poached in wine with a speculoos ice cream and an almond cookie.

Restaurant Eléonore en Monpazier

Château Terre Vieille Pécharmant 2010, an excellent choice for the night’s meal.

Restaurant Eléonore en Monpazier

Menu de Restaurant Eléonore à la carte

Restaurant Eléonore en Monpazier

Menu Edward the menu of the day

Sainte-Foy-de-Grande Samedi Marché

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Our first day in the Sainte Foy Bordeaux appellation and we decided to head off to the Saturday market. The marché in Sainte-Foy-de-Grande is extensive, full of people and had many vendors that we do not get in the marchés in the Dordogne.

Not only was there extensive produce and fruits available, but there was excellent fish, meats, sausages, and my favorite dried fruits stuffed with foie gras. These little delicacies were so tasty and sweet, it was like candy from heaven.

Bottom line if you are visiting the Sainte Foy Bordeaux appellation, you must make time to go to the Saturday market in Sainte-Foy-de-Grande.

The dried fig stuffed with foie gras and the prune stuffed with foie gras.

The dried fig stuffed with foie gras and the prune stuffed with foie gras.

Fresh Mussels

Yummy looking mussels.

Here is a mixture of the dried figs stuffed with foie gras as well as some prunes stuffed with foie gras. We have both for tonight.

The highlight of the day, these dried figs were filled with foie gras. Such unbelievable flavor!

A French speciality, Radis Noir. I just can’t get my head around eating a black radish.

We just could not make up our minds on what we wanted to prepare and eat tonight.

Oh the prunes were so good at the marché

Yummy garlic, shallots and onions.

Very interesting way to present and sell Endive. The plant was still attached to the roots in a holder with some dirt. The vendor just broke off the vegitable when you bought it.

The marché at Sainte-Foy-de-Grande is extensive and almost every street has at least a couple of vendors. However we found one that was still empty.

The oranges were looking so fresh and tasty today.

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

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

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

Clos de Tres Cantos

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Clos de Tres Cantos is a relatively new vineyard in the Valle de Guadalupe. From the main road you are greeted by their sign.

The entrance to Clos de Tres Cantos

The entrance to Clos de Tres Cantos

As you drive up to the winery, you see some very unique architecture. We were later told that the owners a big supporters of the local artists and that every two years or so a different local artist can use the facility for presenting their art. You see that in the building below on the left side were there is a large mural on the roof of the building.

The winery supports local artists by having them paint part of the winery or install their art inside the winery.

The winery supports local artists by having them paint part of the winery or install their art inside the winery.

Here is some more art from the local artists that is hung inside the winery.

Art Hung by Local Artisians

Art Hung by Local Artisians

As you walk up to the winery, you first enter the tasting room.

The entrance to the tasting room at Clos de Tres Cantos

The entrance to the tasting room at Clos de Tres Cantos

The views of the Valle are beautiful from up in the winery.

View of the Valle from Clos de Tres Cantos

View of the Valle from Clos de Tres Cantos

We have a special placer both dogs and wine, so what is not to love about this winery when you see the “guard” dog at attention.

Wine and dogs, what is not to enjoy.

Wine and dogs, what is not to enjoy.

We first took a tour of the winery and as the images below show, it has been designed with some very interesting touches.

Some very interesting and unique architecture.

Some very interesting and unique architecture.

They even installed alters in both the bottling area and the room where the wines are stored in barrels.

Another alter this time in the bottling area

Another alter this time in the bottling area

 

Some very interesting and unique architecture.

Some very interesting and unique architecture.

Plus there is some nice art pieces dedicated to the Virgin de Guadalupe.

Pray Alter in the Cava

Pray Alter in the Cava

The storage area is well maintained and very cool. They do have to run air conditioners at times during the year but when we were there in March it was very cool inside the caves.

Petite Syrah and Tempranillo in barrels

Petite Syrah and Tempranillo in barrels

 

The room where they store the wine in barrels usually for 12 months.

The room where they store the wine in barrels usually for 12 months.

They also have recycled used wine bottles as “window treatments” to let in natural light based on the position of the window.

A different view of how the old wine bottles defuse the light.

A different view of how the old wine bottles defuse the light.

 

Holding Vats

Holding Vats

 

View of the vats in the cave and how the old wine bottle glass lets in some natural light.

View of the vats in the cave and how the old wine bottle glass lets in some natural light.

 

They use the old wine bottles to create a unique obscure window treatment

They use the old wine bottles to create a unique obscure window treatment

After the tour we visited the tasting room and sampled all of their wines. In general we found them all to be very nice and we of course left with a number of them.

The Mezcla de Tintos is aged 12 months in barrels and 12 months the bottle. 13.5% alcohol. Smokey bouquet with long legs. Good finish, fruit taste. Earthly, ruby red color. Our rating: 3.5 out of 5. Please note that this wine is only available at the winery.

The Clos de Tres Cantos "Mezcla de Tintos".

The Clos de Tres Cantos “Mezcla de Tintos”.

The 2013 Noesis is  100% Tempranillo. It is aged 12 months french oak, 12 months bottle. The wine has good legs, is a lighter red color, with a musty or yeasty aroma. The wine is smooth but not as bold. Our rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Clos de Tres Cantos "Noesis" which is a pure Tempranillo.

The Clos de Tres Cantos “Noesis” which is a pure Tempranillo.

The 2013 Resilencia is 100% Petite Sarah. It is aged 12 months in French oak and 23 months in the bottle. 14.5% alcohol. Dry, fruity, good finish with a red fruit aroma. Our rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Resilencia is a 100% Petite Syrah.

The Resilencia is a 100% Petite Syrah.

I forgot to shoot an image of the wine Nada which is a 2013 vintage. It is 100% Tempranillo. It is aged 12 months french oak, 12 months bottle. The wine has good legs, is a lighter red color, with a musty or yeasty aroma. The wine is smooth but not as bold. Our rating: 3.5 out of 5

Address: Carretera Tecate – Eseada, km. 89m Rancho Santa Lucía, San Antonio de las Minas, Baja California.

website:www.closdetrescantos.com
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Clos-de-Tres-Cantos-1498521527058077
Telephone: +52 (55) 8568 9240
Wine maker: Maria J. Benitez Cantarero y Joaquín Moya Cussi