Bichi Listan Tecate 2019

Country: Mexico

Region: Baja Mexico

Type: Red Wine

Grape: Listan Prieto

This wine is produced from 100-year-old pie franco Misión (Listan Prieto) vines grown at 2,400 ft elevation on sandy loam and granite soils in the mountains of Tecate, Mexico, right on the California border. Because the grapes are dry-farmed, yields are very low here.

The grapes are de-stemmed and fermented without temperature control in 450 liter concrete tinajas. After fermentation, ½ of the cuvee goes to stainless steel vats, and the other goes to half to used barrels for 3 months. The wine is bottled without fining or filtration and a tiny amount of added sulfur.

A light ruby in the glass and light-bodied wine, this is a supremely drinkable expression of the Mission grape with notes of floral, peppery red fruits, and refreshing briny acidity.