La Casa Vieja

This week’s Wine Crush is more than a crush on a single wine, it’s a full-on love story for a place, a spirit, and a winemaker. Humberto Toscano makes wine in an unassuming 1800s ranch in San Antonio de las Minas, a sub-valley of the Valle de Guadalupe. He was born on the property, left, lived in Nebraska for a stint, and then returned home in 2003 to nurture the vineyard back to health. He’s been farming and making wine in this magical place ever since. Growing mostly the native varietals of Mision and Palomino, everything Humberto does he does with a spirit of place: old vines (at least 120 + years old, with some dating back to 500 years old) harvested by hand, no filtration, and no added sulfur.

De-stemming is done by hand, using a wooden (two person) apparatus called a zaranda that seesaws back and forth over a large vat that collects the de-stemmed grapes (and the inevitable whole clusters that slip through). It’s this imperfect process, and Humberto’s dedication to doing everything with “love and wisdom,” that makes for some truly unique wines.

Just in time for these hot hot days, all four Casa Vieja wines are delicious chilled. Try the grapes on their own: a skin-contact Palomino, or the light-red Mision—with a buoyant acidity and ripe berry qualities. Or try the Rosado, a blend of Palomino and Mission, with soft tannins, notes of wild strawberry, and an excellent drink-with-food-or-just-drink-it-alone tartness. And if a slightly bigger summer red is calling to you (or you got some meaty dinner plans) try the Garnache— it's almost tingly in your mouth, fruit forward, with a dry, earthy finish. Or, try all four, because, if you’re like us, you won’t be able to pick a favorite!