ADVERTISING: Advertorial — The Mexican wine scene, coming of age

Mary and I had the good fortune to meet her brother John Lancaster and our sister-in-law Paula in Mexico just after the New Year. For customers of the shop, you know John not only as a fabulous winemaker at the winery he owns Skylark, but also as a top Sommelier in San Francisco at Boulevard Restaurant. As I’ve said many times John has not only one of the best palates in the business but the best palate memory, I have ever been close to.

So, when you have three wine professionals on the same trip the typical scrutiny of wine lists, and the entire wine scene from glassware to wine service gets taken to a whole new level. Absurd at times by most standards but it does make for some great conversation and some great tasting. We were in Puerta Vallarta and we came away with one overwhelming feeling about the wine scene in Mexico, it really has come of age in so many ways.

On previous trips over decades, we always knew we would be in for a heavy dose of South American wines and Malbec heavy too. Those are still there on wine lists. It is different now though. We saw top producers from Europe and California and the Northwest showing up frequently at most every of the more serious restaurants we dined at. Names like Shafer from Napa, Long Shadows from Walla Walla, Guigal, Domaine de la Romanee Connti, Chapoutier and Meo Camuzet from France as well as Antinori and other heavy hitters from Italy were all consistently available.

Here is the rub, if you choose to drink some of these wines, you will pay for it. The best of the best like those listed above are attainable but at serious price levels, so while it comes down to the question of “Do I want to pay that?” At least now you can have the wines if you choose to, that was not the case until now. Part of the challenge for all of us when it comes to pricing on these wines is we know what they cost and where they should be priced here at home. That doesn’t really matter although it is challenging to block those thoughts out.

We found too that wine service has improved. Servers and wine stewards know their stuff now. They are attentive and well aware of what is available. They are ready with alternative suggestions based on what you tell them you are after. We found at most every stop that you are now drinking out of the appropriately shaped crystal stemware with a cut edge, a wonderful uptick from the chunky glassware of previous trips.

We also discovered that wine produced in Mexico can now be taken seriously and it should. There are far more selections from multiple appellations across the country than we ever encountered on previous trips. The choices span the varietals we all know and love in both white and red and every wine we tried from the by the glass lists around town were very good. While perhaps we should have been more open minded going into each first sip, we came away with a sense of pleasant surprise on all we sampled.

There were two notable standouts that we purchased by the bottle that we ought to mention. The 2021 Monte Xanic Chardonnay from the Guadalupe Valley in Baja was simply delicious with modest and balanced oak to go with high acid and lovely fruit flavors of apple and citrus. The wine was low alcohol just 12.5% and had great texture on the midpalate leading to a very clean and crisp finish.

The other big winner was the 2020 Rogant Pinot Noir. The wine was fabulous with all of the varietal character we were looking for, with mildly earthy aromas and vibrant cherry fruit across the generous palate. The oak treatment was perfectly suited to this delicate grape and we were thrilled with the selection. To give this recommendation further context, this assessment came from three very picky Pinot Noir enthusiasts who could not have been more thrilled with the wine.

The other reason to consider ordering up some wines from the “home team” the next time you head to Mexico is they represent some of the best values of your choices. Now with more wine savvy servers to rely on for recommendations there is no better time or chance to drink local in Mexico. You can still reach for some of your favorites when the time is right, but it is also nice to not always have to pay “big dog” prices.

This coming of age for the wine scene is great fun and delicious, enjoy it the next time you are south of the border.

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George Balling is co-owner with his wife, Mary Lancaster, of The Dinner Party, a wine and gift shop in Coeur d’Alene by Costco. The Dinner Party has won the award for best wine shop in North Idaho twice, including for 2018.

George is also published in several other publications around the country. After working in wineries in California and judging many wine competitions, he moved to Coeur d’Alene with Mary more than 10 years ago to open the shop.

You can also follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop or visit www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.