WINEGROWERS
We created this section to honor and share with everyone the people and places that give origin to the grapes that make up Mariatinto wines. Each of these winemakers, and their respective teams, dedicate day after day to generate the best possible fruit to maintain the quality, consistency and honesty that we have sought in our products for almost 20 years. The following are key people who, together with Guillermo and Humberto, are a fundamental part of each bottle that is uncorked.
Marco Antonio Tavarez
Rancho Tavarez – Valle de Guadalupe
The property has been in Marco Antonio Tavarez’s family for over 100 years (since 1920), when his great-grandfather Curt Albert Neumann homesteaded a house on the shores of Ensenada. It was not until 2003 that Marco Antonio and his family planted the first vines in this prolific land where the soil is clayey and fertile. Since then, they have been dedicated to the production of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which are harvested by hand by local women and used exclusively by Mariatinto for the production of our Natural wine.
Santos Gallardo
Viñedos Brix – Valle de San Vicente
A family project located in the San Vicente Valley and headed by winemaker Santos Gallardo, who has a philosophy of total devotion to the care and nurturing of the vines. The clay soil in which the ranch is located gives the grapes a characteristic minerality, and the water with low sodium content allows them to develop with outstanding quality. Since 2008 all of its Malbec production is sold to Mariatinto, as well as a percentage of Nebbiolo, Merlot and Tempranillo.
Santos Gallardo
Viñedos Brix – Valle de San Vicente
A family project located in the San Vicente Valley and headed by winemaker Santos Gallardo, who has a philosophy of total devotion to the care and nurturing of the vines. The clay soil in which the ranch is located gives the grapes a characteristic minerality, and the water with low sodium content allows them to develop with outstanding quality. Since 2008 all of its Malbec production is sold to Mariatinto, as well as a percentage of Nebbiolo, Merlot and Tempranillo.
Tomás López
Asesor en Viticultura
Tomás López is an agronomist with a specialty in viticulture. He met Humberto Falcón at Hugo D’Acosta’s “La Escuelita” when the Mariatinto project was just being established. He plays a crucial role in the production chain of different wineries in the Valley, obtaining the best grapes with specific profiles according to the needs of each winemaker. Together with Humberto, they are constantly exploring new producers to continue adding to Mariatinto grapes of great quality and consistency over time. Tomás currently oversees 4 vineyards that supply grapes to our winery.
Phillip “Curro” Ariza
Nuevo San Vicente – Valle de San Vicente
Philiph “Curro” Ariza and his brother Jan Christian are partners and owners of the “Nuevo San Vicente” vineyard, a ranch established in 1979 by their grandfather Don Antonio Ariza, also founder of the Pedro Domecq house. In order to do justice to the good fruit, both pruning and harvesting are done by hand. For more than a decade, the Ariza brothers have been supplying Mariatinto with Cabernet Sauvignon from a low-yielding vineyard that is on average 40 years old.
Phillip “Curro” Ariza
Nuevo San Vicente – Valle de San Vicente
Philiph “Curro” Ariza and his brother Jan Christian are partners and owners of the “Nuevo San Vicente” vineyard, a ranch established in 1979 by their grandfather Don Antonio Ariza, also founder of the Pedro Domecq house. In order to do justice to the good fruit, both pruning and harvesting are done by hand. For more than a decade, the Ariza brothers have been supplying Mariatinto with Cabernet Sauvignon from a low-yielding vineyard that is on average 40 years old.
José Raigoza Casas y Luzmilla Sánchez
Rancho Los Fresnos – Valle de San Vicente
José Raigoza Casas and his wife Luzmila Sánchez are the owners of Rancho “Los Fresnos”, a family project that has been in operation for almost 21 years. They have planted 24 hectares of some of the most representative varieties of the Valley which are worked with almost organic standards, allowing them to sell their grapes to important producers. Mariatinto acquires part of its Tempranillo production from the “old vineyard” that has an average age of 50 years, which is pruned green to reduce its yield and increase quality.
José Antonio Baro
Director de Viñedos para Bodega Santo Tomás
José Antonio Baro is the agronomist at Bodegas Santo Tomás, one of the most important wineries in Mexico. Very few have the privilege of buying his grapes, some from the Santo Tomás Valley and others from the San Vicente Valley. The business relationship that has been forged for several years between the two wineries speaks to their shared philosophy: create a quality product with extreme attention to detail. Humberto Falcón chose Barbera from old vines with an average age of 80 years and Cabernet Sauvignon, which grows in rich clay soil, to make Mariatinto
José Antonio Baro
Director de Viñedos para Bodega Santo Tomás
José Antonio Baro is the agronomist at Bodegas Santo Tomás, one of the most important wineries in Mexico. Very few have the privilege of buying his grapes, some from the Santo Tomás Valley and others from the San Vicente Valley. The business relationship that has been forged for several years between the two wineries speaks to their shared philosophy: create a quality product with extreme attention to detail. Humberto Falcón chose Barbera from old vines with an average age of 80 years and Cabernet Sauvignon, which grows in rich clay soil, to make Mariatinto
Emilio del Castillo
Llano Colorado – Valle de San Vicente
Llano Colorado Vineyards has been a family-owned business in Mexico for over 70 years and is currently managed by its third generation. Led by the Curis and Ibarra families, it is recognized as one of the leading producers of high quality grapes in Baja California. Its viticulturist, Emilio del Castillo, has been dedicated for almost 40 years to the cultivation and distribution of grapes in their different variants: table grapes, raisins, grapes for distillates and grapes for wine. Since 2017, he has managed the production and commercialization of three vineyards belonging to the Llano Colorado project that supply Mariatinto with Nebbiolo, Merlot and Syrah.
Alberto Verdeja
Gerente Técnico & Winemaker para Casa Pedro Domecq
Although Mariatinto does not use Pedro Domecq grapes, the two wineries maintain a close relationship as they share production processes. This effort is led by Alberto Verdeja, Domecq’s winemaker with 22 years of experience and the first Mexican in charge of the winery, who advises on winemaking decisions for the production of Mariatinto’s different labels. This relationship has evolved positively over the years, thanks to the fact that both Humberto and Alberto share the same philosophy of quality, consistency and respect for the terroir when making winemaking decisions. “A wine always expresses the passion of the winemaker, the strength of a team and, above all, the will of nature. Putting all this together can become magic.”
Alberto Verdeja
Gerente Técnico & Winemaker para Casa Pedro Domecq
Although Mariatinto does not use Pedro Domecq grapes, the two wineries maintain a close relationship as they share production processes. This effort is led by Alberto Verdeja, Domecq’s winemaker with 22 years of experience and the first Mexican in charge of the winery, who advises on winemaking decisions for the production of Mariatinto’s different labels. This relationship has evolved positively over the years, thanks to the fact that both Humberto and Alberto share the same philosophy of quality, consistency and respect for the terroir when making winemaking decisions. “A wine always expresses the passion of the winemaker, the strength of a team and, above all, the will of nature. Putting all this together can become magic.”