2025 Dominio de las Abejas - Nebbiolo
Regular price $31.00
In Stock: 10
Dominio de las Abejas (“Domaine of the Bees”) was born in 2015 in Ojos Negros, an hour east of Ensenada, in Baja California. It was created by Mauricio Ruiz Cantú and is run by Ricardo Michel Mata. Ricardo came from Chihuahua, completed his Master’s degree in viticulture in Australia, and then worked in New Zealand before returning to Mexico. The Valle de Ojos Negros is a high-altitude basin (the vineyards are at 690 meters), which gives cooler temperatures, large diurnal temperature swings, and thus fresher wines. Farming is certified organic and work in the cellar is kept to an enlightened minimum, with spontaneous fermentation and no fining or filtration. We tasted three wines from Dominio de las Abejas last week and were so impressed that we bought all three.
There are a lot of wines from Baja California labeled “Nebbiolo”, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty and confusion about what the vines are (see the article Is Mexican Nebbiolo… Actually Nebbiolo?). The picture is a lot clearer for this wine: the vines are the Picotener nebbiolo clone most commonly found in Italy's Valle d’Aosta and Carema (extreme northwest Piemonte). That may explain its lightness and finesse - nebbio-norte rather than nebbio-cholo, to riff on Martinez Ojeda’s neologism in the article.
There are a lot of wines from Baja California labeled “Nebbiolo”, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty and confusion about what the vines are (see the article Is Mexican Nebbiolo… Actually Nebbiolo?). The picture is a lot clearer for this wine: the vines are the Picotener nebbiolo clone most commonly found in Italy's Valle d’Aosta and Carema (extreme northwest Piemonte). That may explain its lightness and finesse - nebbio-norte rather than nebbio-cholo, to riff on Martinez Ojeda’s neologism in the article.
The grapes were entirely destemmed and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for two weeks. The wine then spent nine months in concrete eggs, which help soften nebbiolo’s characteristic tannins. It is pale ruby in color - always a promising sign with nebbiolo. The flavors are raspberry and distinctly floral, with moderate tannins and bright acidity. It’s pretty and elegant - more roses than tar in the nebbiolo pantheon. Drink it cool from a Burgundy or other large stem with aromatic dishes, such as five-spice duck, herb-roasted salmon, or a mole poblano.
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