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Vinisterra: Understanding Baja California

If you would like to have a basic understanding of the uniqueness of the wines of Baja California, Vinisterra would serve as the ideal guide. Their wine production is like a roadmap of the varietals available in every valley. Nebbiolo from Santo Tomás, Mourvèdre from San Antonio de las Minas or Syrah from San Vicente. More important however, is the ability to showcase what makes Baja California a distinctive place capable of delivering world class wines.

Vinisterra was founded in 2002, when Guillermo Rodriguez Macouzet an entrepreneur from Ensenada met Christoph Gaertner who at the time was overseeing winemaking at Bodegas de Santo Tomás. Their production is about 5000 cases per year. They have two vineyards, Pedregal in San Antonio de las Minas (the winery is also located here) and Cascabel in Santo Tomás. They also buy fruit from selected vineyards in San Vicente, Ojos Negros and Guadalupe.

I first met Vinisterra’s winemaker Christoph Gaertner in the mid 2000’s at GSalinas (an influential wine store in Tijuana). And while I liked the wines then, in the last five years they have reached another level. The top wines are Pedregal, a beautiful blend of Mourvèdre and Syrah and Cascabel, a Grenache blended with Tempranillo. Both are consistently excellent. But their Apunte line is where some of the most exciting wines in Mexico are being made.

Apunte is a low production and somewhat experimental line of wines, showcasing a place or a varietal. Usually no more than a couple of barrels are made of each wine. I tend to think that Christoph uses each Apunte wine as his own personal journal, kind of what Sandlands does in California.

They also have a line called viñedos, which focuses on, as the name suggests, distinctive vineyards. The white label is like a reserve line, here is where they bottle some of their best barrels. Nebbiolo and Viognier are part of this range. I still own some bottles of a Petite Sirah they made in 2011 under this label, the wine is drinking beautifully right now. Vinisterra’s entry level line, Dominó, offers high quality at a great price point (around US$25). Here you find blends of purchased and estate fruit.

Tasting at Viniterra

Tasting with Christoph is always a treat, he’s one of the few winemakers in Mexico that truly makes an effort to taste wines from around the world, and he really has his ear to the ground. To me this is key. Having un understanding of your own wines on every level, including their place on a global scale is more important than ever. I’ve been fortunate enough to taste and have long conversations at winery for several years now, and the wines have been getting better and better with each vintage. In this latest release, Vinisterra delivered an amazing range of focused and precise wines.

The whites are very aromatic done in a very transparent and crisp style. Dominó Rose is full of fresh berries with flowers and herbal notes. And the reds are just some of the best wines in Mexico and truly world class, with Pedregal and Cascabel delivering as usual. Dos, a special collaboration cuvée with Tres Valles, is a big structured wine that will need some years to come around but is just a joy to taste. The Mourvèdre from the Pedregal Vineyard is a beautiful rendition of this varietal with a subtle and elegant profile.

Tasting the wines feels like getting a crash course into what makes the valleys around Ensenada special and the varietals that can tell the story in an interesting and eloquent way.

This report is composite of three tastings, two of which were at the winery.

Vinisterra (2026)

Intense aromas of peach, pear, citrus and white flowers with a touch of honey. Full bodied with a fresh, layered mouthfeel. There’s strength and intensity yet it has an overall sensation of elegance with the notes of orchard fruit, citrus and flowers marked by stoney minerality. Just a beautiful wine. 94
Varietals: 90% Viognier, 10% Moscatel
Drink: 2026 -2033

True to the profile of the grape, with honeysuckle and orange blossom giving way to apricots, citrus and lemon zest. The palate is very flavorful with mandarin, white flowers and peach with everything in balance thanks to a good spine of acidity. Very well made. 90
Varietals: 100% Muscat
Drink: 2026 - 2030

Named after the spanish way to call orange wines, Vino Brisado is all Verdejo from Guadalupe Valley. Aromas of chamomile and white flowers that lead to white peach and pear with some fresh herbal notes in the background. With a fresh and focused palate, the flavor profile is slightly phenolic with lemon rind and bitter herbs that turn to flowers and orchard fruit. There’s a touch of salinity towards the end. A white wine with tons of personality and great execution. 93
Varietals: 100% Verdejo
Drink: 2026 - 2032

A rosé with very inviting aromas of wild herbs, berries, peach and white flowers. Light bodied and focused with red berries and citrus turning to flowers and slightly bitter herbs. 91
Varietals: 41% Grenache, 41% Cinsault, 13% Merlot, and 5% Syrah
Drink: 2026 - 2030

Strong aromas of crushed berry fruit, wild herbs, spices with some flowers on the background. An intense, flavorful palate with great balancing acidity, that’s packed with red cherries, black raspberries and peppery spices with nice, firm tannins. A very strong effort for Dominó Tinto. 92
Varietals: 33% Tempranillo, 26% Grenache, 26% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre
Drink: 2026 - 2035

A transcendent wine not only for the team at Vinisterra but more importantly for the region, because it shows that making fresh, energetic and transparent wines is possible in Baja California. Fresh herbs, hibiscus flower and breakfast tea give way to cranberries and wild berries. Light bodied yet full of energy. There’s a feeling of freshness and transparency that makes it unique. Fascinating wine. 95
Varietal: 100% Cinsault
Drink: 2025 - 3034

There’s a resemblance to 26a but here you find more red fruit (cranberry, wild berries) with a touch of pepper, black tea and tree bark. The palate also has more of the red fruit profile. This is a wine that I could drink often and probably more of a crowd pleaser but its just lacks the savory elements that make its sibling such an interesting wine. Don’t get me wrong this is a very good wine, but to my palate 26a has the edge. 92
Varietal: 100% Cinsault
Drink: 2025 - 3032

Captivating from the start with beautiful aromas of tree bark, forest floor and violets that turn to blackberries and plum. A seamless and elegant wine that glides thru the palate. There’s a sense of balance and symmetry that just makes you take notice. A beautifully crafted wine from the Pedregal vineyard in San Antonio de las Minas. Highly recommended. 96
Varietals: 100% Mourvèdre
Drink: 2026 - 2038

I’ve have tasted this wine on multiple occasions, including at winery and Cascabel 2023 has gone from strength to strength with every tasting. Intense aromas of red cherries and raspberries complicated by sweet spices and tobacco. One tasting reveled a light citrus note. An elegant, seamless palate with a sense of energy and clarity that is just a joy to taste. It captures the sun of Baja California in a very sophisticated way. Tempranillo and Grenache from Santo Tomas Valley. 94
Varietals: 85% Tempranillo, 15% Grenache
Drink: 2026 - 2035

One of the quintessential wines from Baja California. Pedregal, a blend of Syrah and Mourvèdre, is one of their flagship wines. 2023 is another excellent vintage. Aromas of pencil lead, fennel and cocoa beans give way to blackberries and raspberries with subtle smokiness. With a concentrated and intense palate that’s medium bodied, it shows wonderful purity with a layered mouthfeel and a vibrant finish. Superb. 95
Varietals: 90% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre
Drink: 2027 - 2042

This wine is a collaboration with Tres Valles, a winery up the road from Vinisterra. Joaquín Prieto, the owner and winemaker passed away last year, he was a longtime friend of Christoph. Dos is a blend of Petite Sirah, Nebbiolo and Grenache. A big, bold and intense wine, aromas of blackberry, black cherry, tar, toasted herbs and sweet spices. Concentrated with a velvety texture and great energy with saturating flavors of dark fruit, violets and espresso framed by firm, ripe tannins. You could enjoy a bottle now, but my money is on waiting for a couple of years and enjoy it over the following 20. 96
Varietals: 50% Petite Sirah, 45% Nebbiolo, 5% Grenache
Drink: 2028 - 2047