2017 Santa - Bichi Wines

Fresh cranberry, black olive, wild blueberry. Dirty strawberry, white sage, tart mulberry. Rose petal and fragrant violet, tarragon and poblano pepper. Wild, dusty, funky mixed berries team with crunchy rhubarb and cherry to do battle with chaparral and untamed earth. Fresh and juicy, brimming with farmer's market rawness and unorthodox native yeast complexity. Expressive tart fruit and floral notes shift effortlessly to sandy loam earthiness and exotic spice, all while bright acidity twinkles like Mona Lisa's smile. Completely authentic and unbelievably interesting. This 2017 Santa by Bichi Wines is brilliant old-vine natural goodness from Tecate Mexico.

Wine production has been commonplace in Mexico ever since Spanish Conquistadors planted the first vines in the 1500's. However, Mexican wine still hardly registers on the world's scale. Very little is currently exported, although areas like Baja California's Valle De Guadalupe are starting to receive noticeable recognition. This bottling, crafted by Bichi Wines from an 85 year old vineyard planted to Rosa del Perú (aka Moscatel Negro), makes us wonder how stuff like this has managed to fly under the radar. Sourced from a high elevation site at around 2400ft above sea level in the border town of Tecate, this wine is full of character and complexity. It is merely medium in body with relatively low tannin, and its low alcohol and pronounced acidity make it an absolute joy to drink. A natural wine through and through, this stuff is worth tracking down and enjoying. This was another impressive bottle we received as part of our recent Raw Vino shipment and we're extremely glad Raw Vino turned us on to Bichi.