2019 Bodegas Henri Lurton Le Sauvignon Valle de Guadalupe

Baja’s sun-blanketed landscape, profound Pacific influence, and rocky soils produce wines so delicious that the Spanish government once banned them. The competition, they reasoned, was far too serious to allow it to threaten Spain’s top bottles.

Valle de Guadalupe is a wine region located in the northern part of the Baja peninsula, in the state of Baja California, Mexico. The region has been producing wine for about 100 years. It now produces 90% of the wine from Mexico.

Valle de Guadalupe’s climate is a slightly warmer cross between the Southern Rhône and Tuscany. Balanced by Pacific breezes and rich in rocky soils composed of granite, sand and clay, which challenge the vines to be vigorous, the region has all the ingredients of a world-class wine growing area.

Valle de Guadalupe reminds us of Napa in the 1970s — a place with immense potential, a spirit of innovation, and a community of quality-minded producers.

Bodegas Henri Lurton’s namesake and founder is a man with the wine industry in his veins. The owner of Brane-Cantenac, an iconic Grand Cru Classé Château in Margaux, he’s a member of one of the most notable families in the vinous world—the Lurtons own more than 20 châteaux in Bordeaux alone. His founding of a winery in Baja was a major sign that the region was on a rocket-like trajectory, and they’ve been at the forefront of quality in the area ever since.

Their Sauvignon Blanc is one of the standouts of the lineup, with bold tropical-inflected aromatics. The nose is full of notes of passionfruit, green mango, and lemongrass, with an underlying minerality that builds remarkable complexity. The palate has ample richness, without any oak influence, and builds on the same dialectic of bold fruit and minerality that makes the nose so engrossing. The result is a wine that demands attention and respect, easily standing toe-to-toe with Napa examples costing twice as much.

Lurton has been obsessive about matching the varying terroirs of Guadalupe to the grapes they cultivate, which means this Sauvignon Blanc comes from the historic Valle de San Vicente. Only nine miles from the cool breezes of the Pacific Ocean, grapes have been planted here since 1780. The combination of red clay and sandy soils, plentiful sunshine, and a cooler micro-climate are perfect for white grapes, promoting elegant textures and gorgeous aromatics in the wines.

That prime vineyard demands a state-of-the-art winery, and again Lurton sets the bar. They flood the inside of their Bucher press with Nitrogen gas before pressing this Sauvignon Blanc, preventing any oxidation of the juice in the process. That protects the delicate aromatic compounds in the wine, which are further enhanced through low-temperature fermentation entirely in stainless steel tanks.
This wine pairs well with pasta with fresh shellfish, ceviches, herb-based sauces, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.