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BAJA CALIFORNIA · TECATE

Encino de Piedra

  • Founded2013the first production, with the wines reaching the market in 2020

  • Tecate, Baja California
  • Open to the public

Nebbiolo as rosé, young red, and gran reserva, just outside Tecate

At a glance

Founded
2013the first production, with the wines reaching the market in 2020
Winemaking
Andrés Blanco
Vineyard
9.9 acres (4 ha)
Grapes
Nebbiolo, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc
Style
Nebbiolo in several styles · rosés · reds for aging
Visits
Open to the public

The house

The 1893 line carries the year the first vine went into the ground at Rancho Tecate, in the Valle de Tanamá. More than a century later, the house picked that tradition back up with a clear idea: that Tecate, the northern gate of the wine route, should make wine of its own instead of being merely the way through to Guadalupe Valley (Valle de Guadalupe).

The first production came in 2013, and the labels reached the market in 2020. Winemaker Andrés Blanco signs the wines, made from the fruit of about 10 productive acres (4 hectares) around the ranch. Nebbiolo is the backbone. The house bottles it as a rosé, as a young red, and as a gran reserva, and rounds out the list with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Sauvignon Blanc.

In 2023, two of its wines, the 2019 Merlot and the 2022 Nebbiolo Rosé, won gold medals at México Selection, the Mexican edition of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles.

The ranch sits at the km 10 marker of Federal Highway 3 from Tecate to Ensenada, just outside Tecate on the way to the wine route. It has a restaurant serving what the house calls Mexiterranean cooking, with a kids' area and fire pits, and a boutique hotel with 12 rooms and 3 villas. Guided tastings are booked through a form on the website, including the Experiencia 1893, which adds a walk through the vineyards, and the Experiencia Magnum, built around the 2013 Gran Reserva.

The wines

The house explores Nebbiolo in all its versions: rosé, young red, and a long-aging gran reserva. Beside it are varietal reds from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and a Sauvignon Blanc, all from Valle de Tanamá fruit.

  • Red

    1893 Merlot

    Merlot

    100% Merlot. The 2019 vintage won gold at México Selection 2023.

  • Rosé

    1893 Nebbiolo Rosé

    Nebbiolo

    The 2022 vintage won gold at México Selection 2023.

  • Red

    1893 Nebbiolo Joven

    Nebbiolo

  • Red

    Gran Reserva Nebbiolo 2013

    Nebbiolo

    From the house's first production, poured at guided tastings and in magnum.

  • White

    1893 Sauvignon Blanc

    Sauvignon Blanc

Grapes it works with

  • Nebbiolo
  • Merlot
  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Sauvignon Blanc
Vineyard
about 10 productive acres (4 hectares) in the Valle de Tanamá

What to taste

The 1893 Merlot or the 1893 Nebbiolo Rosé, both gold at México Selection 2023, and if the occasion arises, the 2013 Gran Reserva Nebbiolo from the first production.

Why go

It sits just outside Tecate, handy for anyone coming from Tijuana or San Diego, and the ranch lets you eat and sleep among the vines without driving all the way down to Guadalupe Valley.

Awards

  • GoldMéxico Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles · 1893 Merlot 20192023
  • GoldMéxico Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles · 1893 Nebbiolo Rosé 20222023

The visit

Receives visitors. Confirm the hours before you go. Reservations are recommended.

Offers:TastingsRestaurantLodging

Tastings and tours

  • Experiencia 1893Guided tasting of the 1893 line, a walk through the vineyards, and a sensory tasting board.
  • Experiencia MagnumGuided tasting of the 2013 Gran Reserva with a sensory tasting board.

The experiences are booked through a form on the website.

Lodging and amenities

HotelBoutique hotel with 12 rooms and 3 villas on the grounds of Rancho Tecate.

  • Restaurant
  • Kids area
  • Fire pits

Getting there

Baja California
The map marks the state of Baja California. Google Maps works out the exact route.

Editorial review by Cities and Wines of Mexico, reviewed on October 11, 2026. Something changed? Write to us at [email protected].