Located in the Valle de Guadalupe, it was founded by five partners with the aim of making the best wine possible in the country.
It has been credited with establishing the current status of the Valle de Guadalupe for wine, both in Mexico and abroad.
Monte Xanic is located in the Valle de Guadalupe, which has a spotty history related to wine making.
[1][2][3] This set winemaking in Mexico back centuries, but it was not completely eradicated in Baja California due to its distance from colonial authorities.
[5] In 1987, Monte Xanic was founded as Mexico's first boutique winery with the goal of making the best wine possible, regardless of cost.
[6][7] It was started by five men Hans Backoff, Manuel Castro, Tomas Fernandez, Eric Hagsater and Ricardo Hojel with the idea of producing only 10,000 cases per year.
[8][9] The name Xanic was that of the daughter of Hagsater, which means “flower that blooms after the first rain” in the Cora language.
[8] Add to this that Mexico before the 1980s had a tradition of toasting occasions with distilled spirits, beer and even soft drinks rather than wine.
[9] The main driving force behind the winery was oenologist Hans Backhoff, whose homemade wines inspired the others to invest in the venture.
They had to sell directly because they could not compete with the big wineries, with much of the publicity in the beginning being word-of-mouth, making it a cult wine.
[10] In 1992 the winery began to publish a free magazine called El Espíritu del Vino.
[10] Other challenges to Monte Xanic and the rest of the wine industry included the peso crisis of 94-95, the free trade treaty with Chile and the free trade agreement with the European Union, with brought in relatively inexpensive, quality wines.
[10] Nonetheless, Monte Xanic's reputation resulted in it being served to dignitaries such as popes John Paul II, Francisco I and Benedict XVI.
[9] Even though Mexican wine sales are still only 30% from domestic sources, it is enough that most of Monte Xanic's production is sold in its home country.
[4][9] The success of Monte Xanic spurred a major wine industry in the Valle de Guadalupe, which now attracts about a million tourist per year.
[2] Monte Xanic is credited for the renovation of the Mexican wine industry, even prompting old guard producers Domecq, L.A. Cetto and Santo Tomás to work on premium brands.
[2][10] Their success has also attracted many aspiring winemakers to the Valle de Guadalupe including those from Europe and Chile.
[19] The main and original facilities are located on what is now called Francisco Zarco road in the Valle de Guadalupe.
[13] The properties are in a Mediterranean-type microclimate, 21 km inland between 300 and 400 meters above sea level, separate from the Pacific by a small range of mountains.
[4] In addition to the three properties in the Valle de Guadalupe proper (Monte Xanic, 7 Leguas and Ole), the winery has also heavily invested in neighboring Ojo Negros Valley with three other properties (Viña Alta, Ojos Negros and Viña la Cienega).
[6][22] The main facility is still the original Monte Xanic property, which is also the area that receives visitors.
Despite this volume, the operation is still considered a boutique winery (Competitor Domecque produces 100,000 cases per year with plans to double that).
[9] The winery hosts gastronomic events with major chefs, particularly from Mexico such as Gerardo Vazquez Lugo, Alfredo Villaueva, Paul Bentley, Olivier Deboise and Javier Plascencia.
[10] Three of the lines are subject to experimentation but Gran Ricardo stays true to traditional French winemaking.
Hans Backhoff (son) has worked to update and evolve the winery's product line to keep pace with the market.
[4] The wines’ tones range from dark fruit and chocolate to citrus and freshly cut hay.