Pagano Grenache

Hacienda La Lomita Pagano Grenache 2011: The emergent wine region of Baja California’s Valle de Guadalupe might be the most exciting scene on the West Coast, and it’s thanks to wines like this, a bold but silky expression of the grenache grape that clocks in at 15.6% alcohol.

The hacienda is located in San Antonio de las Minas, a region where people once sought gold but instead found chalky soils northeast of Ensenada, and also produces a number of other wines (a serious syrah-tempranillo-merlot blend, for instance) that are all decorated with an artistically edgy label. Mexican wines can be hit-and-miss, but this brand’s a keeper.

See haciendalalomita.com.mx and winesfrombaja.com.