El Cielo Winery grows with exclusive vines and new land

*They are certified California varietals, completely organic.

Vinícola El Cielo* invested in 326 thousand live plants of 14 varietals brought from the best vineyards in the United States, France and Italy, for a historic plantation on 93 hectares in Baja California: 83 in the San Jacinto Valley and 10 more in the Guadalupe Valley.

“We are the first winery to bring live and awake varietals,” said Gustavo Ortega Joaquín, Founder and General Manager of Vinícola El Cielo. “These are plants that are generally brought to Mexico during hibernation, but we did not do it that way: we brought them in pots, with roots and active growth, which allows them to be transplanted at any time of the year and thus guarantee their optimal development.”

Of these living plants, 17,000 – clone number one – are Sauvignon Blanc and were chosen for being friendly to the soil of the Guadalupe Valley, as explained by Eduardo Flores, head of plantation at El Cielo, “it is a varietal that has been cultivated for many years in our region, adapting very well to our Mediterranean climate, the type of soil, topography and water; with this, we obtain a grape with the ideal organoleptic characteristics for making wines.”

The most important thing is that they are completely organic: “they were chosen because they are certified in California (Napa Valley) as pest and disease-free varietals, tolerant of adverse conditions in the area,” said the expert.

The other varietals that were added were Tempranillo, in Valle de Guadalupe, and 12 more in San Jacinto: the Italian Sangiovese and Primitivo, the American Zinfandel and the French Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Monastrel, Grenache and Pinot Noir; these last varieties have already been cultivated in the area without any problem, “due to our suitable microclimates; it is worth mentioning that each one requires special management in the field to obtain the quality of the grape,” said Flores.

The plants were born in March 2017 and 3,680 were planted per hectare, “with great care, to avoid stressing them and so they can continue to grow.”

Of course, this great effort could not be perfect without equally exceptional soil, so El Cielo also invested in cutting-edge machinery technologies to achieve variation in the soil: “It is a virgin and fresh soil, without diseases, since only rainfed forage crops were planted, which did not need any pesticides, which allowed us to incorporate organic matter into the soil.”

Furthermore, the soil is sandy loam, which will provide special characteristics and aromas to the Sauvignon Blanc, specifically. “From the fifth year of harvest, we will have a grape with the quality and maturity required to make a great wine,” concluded Eduardo Flores.

All of this represents a remarkable achievement not only for Vinícola El Cielo, but for the entire most important wine region in the country.

drafting