WINE CLUB | CHEESE CLUB

We’re so excited to introduce you to this month’s lineup — all from Mexico!
Mexico was the OG in the New World wine game. They planted grapes for wine back in 1521 when the Spanish were spreading their vineyard wisdom like wildfire during colonization. Fast forward 500 years, and Mexico's wine scene is finally blessing the rest of the world with some love.

Now, Mexico boasts 14 states where grapes are living their best lives to become fantastic wines. From the cool Pacific breezes in Baja to the steep heights of 9,500ft in central Mexico, vineyards are soaking up the sun like beach bums on the Pacific Coast. Here, small family-owned wineries take the spotlight.

These charming wineries are the heart and soul of the grape game, owning their own vineyards and creating wines that are a love letter to the land. They’re most concentrated in Northern Baja — Valle de Guadalupe, or just "Valle" for short. This is where the whole "boutique" winery movement kicked off in Mexico, and now it's the go-to place with over 200 wineries. Many of them are on the smaller side, crafting fewer than 2,000 cases a year.

Cheers to the family-owned Mexican goodness we get to taste this month!

The Halfseas Team

ALL CLUB MEMBERS GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 BOTTLES:

2022 L.A. Cetto

Grape: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico
Retail: $20

A clean, crisp, and refreshing iteration of Sauvignon Blanc that is a stunner for the price. Made from estate grown hand picked fruit.

The L.A. Cetto Estate was started in 1928 by Don Angelo Cetto who survived WWI and then migrated to Mexico in 1924. Angelo started from scratch, buying grapes to make port and grappa, but he and his family have made it to the top. Cetto is now Mexico' s largest producer of wine. Today, a third-generation family-owned business, its continual high quality is one of the truly remarkable feats in the world of wine. They only using their own estate-owned vineyards to source their fruit and don’t buy or sell any of their harvest. All grapes are still picked and manually selected by hand. And on top of all that, they employ top of the wine enologists to lead the production. Camillo Magoni "Yoda of Valle de Guadalupe" ran the operation for decades, and Sebastien Suarez is at the helm today. Both are some of the most well-respected winemakers in the Valle.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette

2022 Lomita Cabernet

Grape: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Region: Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico
Retail: $26

This is a bottle of pure joy. While the Lomita Estate may have officially joined the wine party in 2009, their roots go deep — we're talking ancient vines kind of deep. They've got prime real estate in Valle de Guadalupe, home to some of the oldest vines in the valley. Lomita's vineyards are the organic superstars of the mid-valley, catching all that cool northwest air at 950ft elevation. They’re just 11 miles from the Pacific, and the salty breeze drifts over the vines.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Savory mole

Finca la Carrodilla

Grapes: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Syrah, 25% Tempranillo
Region: Canto de Luna, Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico
Retail: $28

This next bottle is enticingly dry, amicable, franc, well-balanced, and so charming. It comes from a winemaking powerhouse and the proud owner of the first vineyard with organic certification. It all started with a dream of the Pérez Castro family, the genius minds behind La Lomita. They dreamt big to honor the Virgin of the Vineyards, and oh boy, did they succeed. Now, let's talk about the winemaker – meet Gustavo González, coming to us with a chemistry degree from UC Berkeley and a master's in Enology from UC Davis. This guy is a big deal and has over 20 years of experience making wine. Since 2015, Gustavo has also been the mastermind behind La Lomita and Finca La Carrodilla wines in the Guadalupe Valley.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Creamy chicken alfredo pasta, mexican garnachas, aged cheeses

6-BOTTLE MEMBERS ALSO GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 BOTTLES:

This month, your extra 3 bottles comes to use from the sunny islands.

2022 Alexakis

Grape: 100% Assyrtiko
Region: Crete, Greece
Retail: $22

Next up is this incredibly refreshing — but serious — wine. Alexakis Winery is a family business. It was founded by Stelios Alexakis a Chemical Engineer and Oenologist, and Sofia Alexaki in the 1970s. Alexakis Winery is the largest private winery in Crete. They’ve been collaborating for decades with all the vine growers of the island, maintaining long-term relationships with them, while being fully aware of all the peculiarities of the Cretan Vineyard. While it probably came from Santorini, the famed Assyrtiko grape is planted all around Greece. Most producers are very proud of the variety and present it as their flagship wine. Assyrtiko is well-suited to Crete’s conditions of high winds and low vigour soils.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Lobster bisque or chowder

2021 Santa Tresa 'Rina Russa'

Grape: 100% Frappato
Region: Sicily, Italy
Retail: $22

It was in the early 1990s that brother and sister, Stefano and Marina Girelli (and wine entrepreneurs from Trentino) discovered the wonderful vineyards of Sicily. In 2001, Santa Tresa was acquired by Stefano and Marina, who immediately started the project to overhaul the entire estate completely – an enormous task which was spurred on by Sicily’s warm and welcoming character. In a kind of “reverse migration” of coming from the North to the South, rather than the opposite way around, Stefano and Marina have fallen in love with Sicily. A meeting of thirty years of experience in Trentino and the real Sicily, this is another example of Sicily opening its doors to all cultures.

Label design: “Rina Russa” means “red sand” in Sicilian dialect. It’s no mystery how central wine was to Greek culture, which brought so much to the island of Sicily and its people. Rina Russa features the black figures found on ancient Greek vases, a tribute to the meeting of peoples and cultures.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Fresh margherita pizza

2021 Il Meridione

Grape: 100% Nero d’Avola
Region: Sicily, Italy
Retail: $20

Started in 2003, Adria Vini is a winemaking venture and the leading co-operative in Piemonte. All areas of production — from grape selection through to vinification, maturation, blending and bottling — are meticulously overseen. Working closely with growers and cooperatives, the aim is to produce a range of authentic, quality wines from local grape varieties.

Nero d'Avola grapes, often referred to as the "Black of Avola," have a delightful connection to their sun-soaked Sicilian home. These grapes bask in the Mediterranean sun, absorbing its warmth and energy, resulting in wines with a rich and robust character. Just as the Sicilian landscape boasts a unique blend of history and culture, Nero d'Avola wines embody the essence of the island. With their dark, luscious hues and vibrant flavors of black fruits, these wines are like a sip of Sicily itself. So, when you enjoy a glass of Nero d'Avola, you're experiencing the flavors of a region where vineyards and sunshine come together to create a truly enchanting wine adventure.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Steak au poivre

Looking for past lineups? We got you.

REMINDERS

• As always, our food suggestions are just starting points. Wine is nostalgic and we’re big fans of making what you like, drinking what you like, and not giving a damn if they “go” together.

• Email us at info@halfseaswine.com to buy more single bottles or a 12-bottle case with special pricing.

• Come see us at Halfseas, your charming little neighborhood wine shop tucked inside Brimmer & Heeltap. Open Wednesday through Sunday 12 - 9pm.

• Wine pairs best with friends. Tell your friends.