Team C&J
This Winery Is Permanently Closed.
Winery Rating
Located at:
Callejón de la Liebre Parcela 70, 22755 Ejido El Porvenir (Guadalupe), B.C., Mexico
Wine Club Rating
Price Range For Tasting
He had no interest in building a wine business or making wine and selling wine. My, how quickly his plan changed when his cousin, Alberto Rubio, a winemaker, saw the grapes Francisco was growing and selling. When he saw rows of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Merlot being snapped up by local vintners, he knew he had to convince Francisco to rethink his retirement plan and utilize this prized fruit in his own bottlings.
After nearly a decade, in 2014, Alberto succeeded, and a new version of Bodega F. Rubio was born.
The entire Rubio family is involved in the running of this small business. Everything from farming the vineyards, picking the grapes, making the wine, and marketing to a growing global wine community is done in-house by the Rubios. This love of family is also represented in the label art.
As a pack animal, for the Rubios, the elephant is the ultimate symbol of family. Each bottle has a slightly different elephant on it that is designed to represent a member of the pack or the family.
The winery, tasting room, and, well, the entire grounds of the Bodegas F. Rubio are stunning. When you walk up to the winery, your gaze can’t help but pause on the beautiful stonework exterior. But the loveliness doesn’t stop there. This gorgeous building is surrounded by vibrant native desert plant life and stunning views of the vineyards.
The intricate stonework carries over to the inside of the tasting room. It’s a spacious area with a nice high wood-beam ceiling and streams of natural light. This space would fit in just fine in any world-class wine region. Guests have the choice of sitting inside to taste or going outside to the fully covered patio to sip outdoors.
Pro Tip #1: If the weather is good, which it almost always is in Baja, sit outdoors and soak up the fresh air.
We love wineries that have on-site restaurants. What better way to craft an experience than by having an on-site restaurant with dishes made to match the wines. Francisco’s youngest son, Alex, is a trained chef, so placing him in charge of the culinary experience at Bodegas F. Rubio was a no-brainer.
The dishes at the restaurant are crafted with local ingredients from family-run ranches, farms, and dairies. Fresh seafood is sourced directly from the Ensenada port.
Pro Tip #2: Try the lamb chops. We did, and we’re still thinking about how delicious they were!
RUBIO HERENCIA PALOMINO FINO 2021. $25We have a full review of this wine on the way, so we’ll keep this one brief. You don’t see Palomino and Chenin Blanc blended together often, but after trying this, we wonder: why not? The wine was bright, acidic, and had a pleasant mouthfeel. Very refreshing, and at 10.6%, you can sip it all afternoon long.
RUBIO TEMPRANILLO 2019. $32
Spanish Tempranillo seems to do well in Baja. In the glass, the wine is a rich ruby color. The nose has plenty of red fruit and leather and wafts with alcohol. When you see that 14.6% ABV, you understand where that comes from. Still, the wine is balanced, and we enjoyed the palate, which featured jammy red fruits (lots of strawberry), fig, and spicy black pepper. A nice full-bodied wine with equal parts fruit, spice, and leather throughout.
RUBIO MALBEC 2019, $40
Winemaker Alberto does a fantastic job with Malbec, a sometimes tricky French varietal. Dark, smokey Malbec is smooth and mellow after it has aged in French Oak barrels for 12 months. In the glass, the wine is a deep shade of ruby. The nose is nuanced with rich notes of black cherry, toast, cocoa, coffee, leather, and tobacco – a veritable tapestry of aromas. The palate offers similar notes, but we also discovered a bit of dark chocolate and dark berry fruit. Hints of fleshy coconut were a surprise too.
The finish on this wine is terrific, and everything is in sync in the glass.
RUBIO CABERNET SAUVIGNON, MALBEC, MERLOT 2020, $40
This Bordeaux-inspired wine is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 20% Málbec. The aromas of the wine are delicate and elegant. Ripples of cherry, plum, black pepper, oak, strawberry, and grass dance together on the nose. The palate is dry, balanced and silky, with similar notes as the nose. A nice wine, but you’re just left expecting a bit more after the level of the other wines in the tasting.
RUBIO MEZCLA ITALIANA MONTEPULCIANO NEBBIOLO SANGIOVESE 2020, $42
Wow. Was this a good wine. If you’ve been reading this blog, then you know we have tried more than a few Nebbiolos from Valle de Guadalupe. This Nebbiolo dominant blend is 50% Nebbiolo, 34% Montepulciano, and 16% Sangiovese, and it was one of the best we tried at Bodegas F Rubio.
The nose is lush. Think plum, dark chocolate, mint, and an earthy barnyard quality. The palate is full-bodied with a nice tannic structure and robust notes of dark fruit (black cherry and blackberry), red fruit (strawberry and cherry), cedar spice, dark chocolate, and coffee. An excellent wine.
If you fall in love with the wines, and there is a good chance you will sign up for a wine club membership: the winery offers three! Wines ship three times a year, that’s once every four months, and range from 3 to 12 bottles per shipment, depending on the level you join at.
All memberships include shipping, a discount on bottles purchased, and an invitation to exclusive events throughout the year.
Our experience wine tasting at Bodegas F. Rubio was excellent. The winery is incredibly nice, the staff is wonderful, and the tasting room is comfortable and welcoming. If you’re looking for a winery in Baja that has it all, do stop by for a glass – or two.
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