I just got back from vacation on the Riviera Maya in Mexico and although it’s pretty hard to find fault with 10 days of snorkeling, sunbathing, and shooting tequila, I did miss drinking good wine. When we were on Isla Mujeres and our only source was the local Supermini (now there’s an oxymoron for you), we subsisted on a cabernet franc from Monte Xanic — which we renamed Mount Xanax because it was both tranquilizing and tasteless — and a blowsy off-dry white from a Spanish house called Don Simon. When we moved south to Playa del Carmen, though, our hotel restaurant had a wine list with selections from all over the world, a rarity in Mexico. The markups were ugly, but the Mariachis were lively, so we bypassed the margaritas and went for wine with dinner.

Turns out our favorite from this international list was a homegrown surprise. For my notes, proving good Mexican wine isn’t another contradiction in terms, click here:

Casa Pedro Domecq’s Tinto (Baja California) is the signature red from this, Mexico’s largest winery. Like most other Mexican wines, it hails from the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California. But what made this blend of cabernet sauvignon, nebbiolo, and merlot stand out for us was an earthy component presented in a bold, structured mouthfeel that reminded us of a good, if not great, wine from Bordeaux. The Domecq Tinto stood up bravely to my chicken mole and I have to say, it’s the only Mexican red I’ve tasted that I’d look for again.