Valle de Guadalupe: Alximia, Hacienda La Lomita, Las Nubes and Barón Balché
I am sure that we all have that one place where we can go to escape, clear our heads, and even feel inspired. It's that one place, that while we can't be there, we day dream about it in our minds. Well, as you might have figured out by now, for me that is El Valle de Guadalupe. Every time we head down there, we experience more sprawling areas of vineyard beauty, different wines, and more cuisine options.
There is a quote that I absolutely love in the Ralph Amey's Wines of Baja California book: "To enjoy a delicious wine is truly a pleasure, but to experience it along with the beauty of the land in which the grapes were nurtured and where the wine was created then becomes a revelation."
I couldn't have said it better, it truly is something else..
This time around we had the chance to visit Alximia, Hacienda La Lomita, Las Nubes, and Barón Balché. The weather was just beautiful last weekend, and got me so excited for the nearly approaching Spring and Summer season.
Alximia has been in El Valle de Guadalupe since 2006, but has only been open to the public for just about a year. The Eco- friendly, space ship-like building is still under construction, and expected to be completed by June-July this year. The main structure was built keeping in mind, that they want to maximize the use of all of the natural rescources that they can.
The building is designed to catch rain water, to keep the vines watered even during the hottest times of the year. The openings of the building are strategically placed so that the winds are able to circulate throughout the building, keeping it cool and at an ideal temperature for the wines. It really is a unique structure, and is sure to catch the eyes of visitors.
The exterior color of the main building at Hacienda La Lomita is just gorgeous. Not to mention stepping out to the iron railing with your glass of wine, and being able to just breathe in all of nature's beauty. The tasting room did fill up quite quickly, so it was nice to step out and discover a little on our own. They offer a tour of the property as well, for those of you who are interested.
Wine and a great cheese, simply go hand in hand. I could easily have a fresh baguette, with wine and cheese for dinner any day of the week. During our stay at Hotel Endemico, Bill brought along two wonderful cheeses from Rancho Mora. It was the sign labeled "queso", that lead the way. You literally end up at a house, roosters hanging around and all, and a small white refrigerator filled with wedges of cheese. Unfortunately they were out of the aged cheese, that we enjoyed before, but we did end up leaving with quite the delicious number. The only name that we were given for the cheese was "El más seco." Hey, that works for me, I have eaten some every day since Saturday.
I did not want to leave Las Nubes. I just wanted to gaze longingly at the view all day. They were so nice, and made us an impromptu cheese board, to enjoy along side the wine tasting.
Baron Balché was our last stop of the day. Each and every stop that day, were all so different, yet stunning in their own ways. It is always such an amazing adventure being down in El Valle. I am already looking at the calendar, planning the next visit.
Oh yes, there was just one more stop at Sol de Media Noche market. One of our friends that came along, told us that we must try their Pan de Vino. It was starting to get late, and they were actually sold out of it for the day. We did end up leaving with some delightful bottles of salad dressing though. We will have to stop by again, hoping that they have some pan de vino next time.
Alximia Camino vecinal al tigre Km.3 Valle de Guadalupe, B.C. +52 (646) 947-5256
Hacienda La Lomita Comunidad de San Marcos Fraccionamiento 13 Valle de Guadalupe, B.C. +52 (646) 156-8459
Las Nubes Callejón Emiliano Zapata Valle de Guadalupe, B.C. +52 (646) 156-8037
Barón Balché Ej. El Porvenir Valle de Guadalupe, B.C. +52 (646) 155-2141
Sol de Media Noche C. Principal y Tercera 310-3 Valle de Guadalupe, B.C.