Jancis Robinson recently wrote a positive piece on Mexican wines in which she singled out winemaker Hugo d’Acosta of Casa de Piedra/Bodegas Paralelo as noteworthy. Jancis was impressed with his coinage of the term “contextual wines,” meaning those that not only complement indigenous foods but also reflect the overall culture. Not sure what Jancis finds so novel in that, but she goes on to suggest that such concepts neutralize tasting notes that evaluate wines, well, out of context. So, if I like it, fine, but if I don’t, maybe the context wasn’t right.
Separately, a good friend relayed me these two bottles a few months ago on behalf of the owner, who she knows. Labels say they were made by Casa de Piedra. Nice coincidence. We tried them on successive nights. Each was decanted for an hour.
Ensamble Colina Ba I Baja California 13.5%
Merlot 50%, Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Petit Syrah 5%, Zinfandel 5%. Smells modern, i.e., jammy plums, toast, coffee, and eucalyptus. Dense, high extraction, sweet and syrupy, too much for my palate. Acidity is considerable and pleasantly mouth puckering, but tastes separate from fruit, as if added to the must. Tastes riper and is slightly hotter than I would have expected, given the posted alcohol level.
Ensamble Arenal Ba II Baja California 13.3%
Merlot 50%, Cabernet Sauvignon 40%, Petit Syrah 5%, Barbera 5%. A little bit of heat, with plums, molasses and eucalyptus. Thick and chewy, syrupy, more sweet than acid, the acidity feeling separate. Nice coffee-style finishing bitterness. Not surprisingly, extremely similar to the Colina.
These wines are definitely not my style. Without context, I can’t determine to what extent their profile is a stylistic choice or results from the climate, which must be hot and conducive to excessive ripeness and compensatory acidification. I found little about these wines on the net and the site on the label, www.paralelo.com, is inoperative.