WINE, DINE, UNWIND
When I heard there was an offthe-beaten-path winemaking region in northern Baja California that travelers were comparing to early Napa Valley, I was skeptical. But the Valle de Guadalupe, or Guadalupe Valley, about 26 miles northeast of Ensenada, is for real. Better yet, it is easily accessible (about a three-hour drive from Los Angeles if you go inland through Tecate, Mexico), userfriendly, relatively inexpensive and a great weekend getaway.
Hacienda Guadalupe is the brainchild of Daniel and Gabriela Sanchez. The Sanchez family, originally from Ensenada, grew up in Santa Ana. But on their visits to the valley, they realized there were few good accommodations. In 2010 Hacienda Guadalupe was born. Today it has 16 tastefully decorated rooms, an excellent restaurant and a winery called Melchum, Gabriela Sanchez’s maiden name.
For a sophisticated dinner, look no farther than Laja, which owner-chef Jair Téllez established in 1991. Téllez will wow you with a four- or eight-course meal that includes wine pairings. My wife and I chose four courses, which included baked beetroot salad, pumpkin ravioli with thyme butter, pan-roasted sea bass with daikon radish purée and burdock root sorbet in a purple radish and fig leaf cold soup — as delicious as it was esoteric.
No visit to the valley would be complete without a stop at the Adobe Guadalupe food truck, permanently parked at the spectacular Adobe Guadalupe Vineyards & Inn. Owners Leda Gamboa and Lupita Gomez will help you select a variety of delicious tapas from an extensive menu. Put yourself in their hands.
Wines from the Guadalupe Valley are known throughout Mexico but rarely make their way north of the border.
Two small wineries worth visiting are Casa de Piedra and Clos de Tres Cantos. Casa de Piedra is the home of Hugo d’Acosta, one of Mexico’s premier winemakers. His Piedra del Sol Chardonnay is a gem at a little more than $18. And at Clos de Tres Cantos, its blend of Tempranillo and Petite Sirah called Nada (the label is blank) is a steal at $20. Miles one way from downtown L.A.: 201