Our Favorite Wine of 2023: 2021 Monte Xanic Edicion Limitada Cabernet Franc

An Overview of Monte Xanic

Monte Xanic is located in Valle de Guadalupe and is the oldest winery in this popular Mexican wine region, with a history that goes back to 1987. Baja, California has many distinguished wine brands, but few are as large and productive as Monte Xanic. Today, the winery makes an astounding 100,000 cases of wine a year and works with over ten French and Italian grape varieties.

Founder Hans Backhoff Escudero

Winemaker Hans Backhoff was born in Ensenada, Baja, California, in 1946, and his wines hold a very special place in Mexican wine history. The Mexican wine community has been growing for over one hundred years, but the wines coming out of the country only gained recognition from the international wine community and its very particular critics when they got their first taste of Hans Backhoff’s wines.

Hans grew up on his parent’s farm in Los Alamitos, so he gained a working knowledge of growing and producing food products from a young age. But it wasn’t until he went to England to study food science at the University of Nottingham that his curiosity about food, wine, and the human palate was piqued.

Creating Monte Xanic 

Hans created Monte Xanic with the help of four friends who believed in his vision that Valle de Guadalupe could be one the world’s most intriguing winemaking regions and a place that could draw wine lovers to its premium wines.

Keep in mind that when the friends embarked on their plan, N.A.F.T.A. (North American Free Trade Agreement) had just been enacted, so Mexico was in the midst of opening its wine markets to foreign wine. Faced with this new wave of competition, many wineries shut down.

Hans and his partners kept things simple by planting their first vineyard to 80 acres of grapes, with the first vintage consisting of a Chenin Blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Fast forward 30 years, and the wines of Monte Xanic are considered the best in all of Mexico. Monte Xanic wines can now be found on the wine list at the French Laundry, and they have won over 260 awards around the world.

A New Generation: Winemaker Oscar Gaona

Winemaker Oscar Gaona joined Monte Xanic in 2018 after being mentored by winemaker Francisco Rodriguez of Casa Madero, which claims to be the oldest winery in North and South America. After working with Rodriguez, he traveled to the US, Canada, and Australia to work harvests and hone his winemaking techniques in these diverse climates. 

To date, Oscar’s wines are receiving the same level of respect as founder Hans Backoff.

Fast Facts: Ways Monte Xanic & Hans Backstoff Influenced the Mexican Wine Industry

• Founder Hans Backstoff created the first Mexican wine competition in 1993
• In 2000, it was one of the first Mexican wine brands to enter the US market by partnering with the Wine Chalone Group.
• In 2010, Monte Xanic was the first Mexican winery to win an award on the international stage.
• Hans founded the Pro-vino Committee to market winemaking and wine tourism in Baja, California and Valle de Guadalupe.
• Partnered with the UC Davis oenological program to understand vineyard water usage in Baja and designed a system tailored to the region’s water needs.