Recently I was in Amador County, one of the wine growing regions in California’s Sierra Foothills. I’ve heard good things about the wines from Borjón Winery, and finally, I had an opportunity to check it out.
Walk into the Shenandoah Valley tasting room, and the first thing you notice are the absolutely gorgeous silver and leather saddles. We’re told they belong to owners Iscander “Isy” and Elana Borjón. The saddles, a nod to Borjón’s father and grandfather riding bulls in Mexico are work ofs art — hand tooled leather and embellished silver, made in Guanajuato, Mexico. They look brand new, but are at least seven to 10 years old.
Borjón’s parents Jesús and Nora left Guanajuato and came to Amador County in the late 1980’s. His father worked in vineyards and eventually launched his own vineyard management company. Borjón took that journey one step further, with his first vintage in 2007 and launching the wine label in 2009.
Come here to taste some very nicely priced wines in the Reposado series, all at $25. Or step it up a notch and try even more complex, layered and nuanced wines in the Selección series at $30-$38. For a splurge, the Colección series wines run $30-$130.
If you notice a tequila theme, with the reposado reference, that’ not a coincidence.The Borjóns love tequila, and their private tequila bottle and glass collection is on display in the tequila room. It’s just for show though – you can’t taste any of them.
That masked cowboy on the label? That’s the reverese silhouette of Borjón’s father Jesús Borjón, Sr..
I left very impressed with the quality and value of the Reposado series wines, especially the bright, floral and blackberry fruit jammy Barbera Reposado ($25), the lighter-bodied, cherry flavored Sangiovese Reposado ($25) and the Zinfandel Reposado ($25), a zippy and peppery sip . But I also coveted one of those amazing saddles, even though I don’t have a horse.
Borjón Winery, 11270 Shenandoah Road, Plymouth, CA
