Happening Now Tasting 14: L. A. Cetto Nebbiolo Private Reserve 2007, Baja California

It’s been a while since my last Mexican wine. Last time it was a Petite Sirah from Baja’s largest and most renowend wine producer L.A. Cetto. This time the actual producer remains unchanged. Only grape variety is about to differ. To differ to the “extreme”! Well, probably not extreme, but for a European it is a slightly special thing to drink Reserve Nebbiolo from Mexico. I know, I know! Sounds a bit unreceptive and insular! You got me! All those years of tasting “weird”, or better put: peculiar, wines and there we have it: My true character!  … Naaa, just kidding! I’ve really been looking forward to this Nebbiolo Private Reserve 2007 from L. A. Cetto. I just didn’t know how to fill up the lines, because unfortunately there is not so much input material to learn about this Nebbiolo. The “raw material” for this typical Old-World grape varietal wine was produced in Valle de Guadaloupe on the southern Californian peninsula. Then it has been fermented for up to 20 days and aged for another 14 months in mostly used French barriques. Let’s check it out …

Juicy Moments: L.A. Cetto Petite Sirah 2010, Baja California

I guess today’s tasting note will be the most concise one so far. My extraordinary Petite Sirah was made by L.A. Cetto. A winery founded in the early 1970s by an Italian immigrant and to date probably the largest wine producer in Valle de Guadalupe on Baja California, Mexico. Enough briefing for today! That will do!

Mexico: Traditional wines from the new world? Casa Madero Cabernet Sauvignon 2002

At the beginning I was quite pleased to see a very dense stinging dark red in my glass. The rim was slightly brown. The nose had a lot of power. Mainly paprika and dark pepper fragrances as well as some smoke and burned nuts. So far it was a rather nice and admitingly surprising experience. Unfortunately the taste swept the positive expression away. Astringent and crude acid, unpleasent bitterness, some petrol flavours and a weird impression of wet cellulose put my previous statement about the fragrance into perspective. Of course I could spot pepper and vanilla aromas as well, but these artificial flavours of cellulose (or somthing like that) destroyed my enjoyment. Two days later I've tried it again, but the disturbing aromas remained. Only some eucalyptus aromas, like Cabernet Sauvignons from Chile, developed a little bit. Maybe my bottle wasn't all right and I just got a wrong impression.