I Asked About Nebbiolo in Baja. He Brought Me Two Bottles.

Mexican Nebbiolo is a story with a question mark. We were on a trip to one of our favorite wine regions in the world, Valle de Guadalupe. We were tasting at Casa Magoni, outside, at a table next to a huge oak tree, about 450 years old. Olive trees were all around us. The family uses them to make olive oil, and it is also very good.

There was no Nebbiolo on the tasting list. But when the reds arrived, I could not resist. I asked the person leading the tasting: “What can you tell me about the Nebbiolo discussion?”

He said there is some misinformation out there. Then he talked about local grapes, history, how European grapes came to Mexico, and terroir. It was a good answer, and I learned from it. But he never said “it is” or “it is not.”

Then he did something I did not expect. He finished the tasting by bringing two Nebbiolos to the table.

My feeling is that he knew the topic well, and maybe it was not the moment to go deeper. Honestly, I understand. Maybe that is why he brought two bottles instead of more words. Two glasses, side by side. Taste it, and decide for yourself. That is place over grape.

I walked out with more questions than answers, and that was the best part of the trip.

A grape named after fog

Nebbiolo comes from nebbia, the Italian word for fog. Most people say the name comes from the fog that settles on the hills of Piedmont at harvest. Baja has its own fog from the Pacific. It sounds like a perfect match.

A writer for Wine Enthusiast had almost the same experience at Casa Magoni. He sat with Camillo Magoni, the winemaker, who poured him two wines. One came from vines from his home region in northern Italy. The other he calls Nebbiolo de Baja. The Italian one was light in color, with rose and cherry. The Baja one was darker, stronger, and more serious.

Our two bottles were the same idea: a 2020 Casa Magoni Nebbiolo de Baja, and a 2022 Magoni Reserva, Nebbiolo Clone 34. Look at the label on the first one. There is a ® next to the name Nebbiolo de Baja, so it is a registered name.

Is Mexican Nebbiolo the same grape as Piedmont Nebbiolo? That is the question.

How Mexican Nebbiolo got here

After World War II, many grapes came to Baja from Piedmont. Barbera, Grignolino, Freisa, and one they named Nebbiolo. Magoni says this with a smirk.

When he arrived in the 1960s, he knew Nebbiolo well from his work in Italy. He told the writer he was shocked by what he saw in Baja. So he kept quiet and just watched.

Wine in Mexico is much older than most people think. I wrote about how Mexican wine is older than California’s.

The Mexican Nebbiolo DNA test

A few months ago, my impression was that it was Lambrusca di Alessandria. I thought the story was closed.

It is not.

José Vouillamoz is one of the world’s top grape geneticists. He told Wine Enthusiast that at least one DNA test suggested Lambrusca di Alessandria, a grape from Piedmont. But it was one sample, from one vineyard. He said more testing is needed before anyone can be sure.

Lulu Martínez Ojeda, the winemaker at Bruma, also in Valle de Guadalupe, says plainly that it is not Nebbiolo. She also says she loves it. Why no big DNA study? It is expensive. And she asked a good question: if it turns out to be something else, what do you do then?

We have seen this before

Chile grew a grape for years and called it Merlot. It was Carménère. In Italy, the same thing happened with Cabernet Franc. Some producers there kept the old name on the bottle anyway.

People hold on to names. I understand it.

When the writer asked Magoni if he had done DNA testing, he said yes. And the result? He shrugged: “Who cares?”

Maybe he is right. Maybe not. But I think the wine deserves an honest conversation, and I was glad to find one.

What is in the glass

Mexican Nebbiolo is darker than Piedmont, softer in tannin, and sometimes a little salty. Some people think it is the dry land. One winemaker has a simple idea: more direct sun, thicker skin. She even sells hers in a can.

One more detail I love. The Nebbiolo for Casa Jipi, a Bruma wine, comes from a vineyard planted in 1978.

Try this at home

Mexican wine is not always easy to find in the United States, so if you can find a Mexican Nebbiolo, try this. Pour two glasses. One Nebbiolo from Piedmont, a Langhe Nebbiolo is a good start. One from Baja. Look at the color first. In my photo, one glass is already darker than the other, before anyone said a word. Then smell. Then taste.

Ask yourself: which one tastes like where it is from?

If you cannot find one, ask a local wine shop or a restaurant with a Mexican wine list. Many will order it for you, or know someone who can. And if you ever travel to Valle de Guadalupe, this is a great place to start.

Why I am telling you this

Call it Mexican Nebbiolo. Call it Lambrusca di Alessandria. Call it Nebbiolo de Baja. The wine grew in that soil, under that sun, made by people who are still deciding what Mexican wine is.

Place over grape. Always.

Tell me what you taste, or what you want to try.