At a glance
- Winemaking
- Joaquín Prieto, founding winemaker
- Grapes
- Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc
- Style
- reds for aging · terroir vinification · San Vicente Grenache
- Visits
- Open to the public
- Hours
- Thursday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. · see hours
The house
Editorial review · reviewed on October 11, 2026Tres Valles carries its geography in the name. The house buys and grows grapes in three Ensenada zones, Guadalupe Valley (Valle de Guadalupe), San Antonio de las Minas, and Valle de San Vicente, and ferments each separately so it keeps its character before the blend is decided. It is lot-by-lot fermentation work, meant to read the soil more than to impose a style.
Behind it is Joaquín Prieto, founder and winemaker, who signs every label and follows the process from grape selection to bottling. Among the vineyards it draws from, the house itself names Rancho Málaga, in San Vicente, and Rancho Cortez, in San Antonio de las Minas.
The names of the wines come from Kiliwa, the language of one of Baja California's Indigenous peoples: Jalá, Kuwal, Maat, and Kojaa. Several wine route guides explain the meaning of each word, which runs from the name of the people itself to the word for wine or the color red, and the winery presents it as a way to keep that culture alive.
On a hilltop in San Antonio de las Minas, about 12 miles (20 km) from Ensenada, the tasting room is surrounded by sculptures and local vegetation. There you understand, glass in hand, why a Grenache from San Vicente does not taste like one from Guadalupe Valley. Comparative terroir tastings are the specialty of the house.
The wines
Barrel-aged reds, often from a single valley, built from fermentations kept separate by vineyard. The house works mostly with Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah, and also bottles a white of Chardonnay with Chenin Blanc.
Red
Kojaa
Petite Sirah
Petite Sirah from Guadalupe Valley with 18 months in barrel, per the winery's data sheet.
Red
Maat
Grenache
Grenache from Valle de San Vicente, with 15 months in barrel.
Red
Jalá
Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache
Half Cabernet Sauvignon and half Grenache from the Guadalupe and San Vicente valleys, with 12 months in barrel.
Red
Kuwal
Its name means red in Kiliwa.
Red
Tres Valles Grenache Dourif
Grenache, Petite Sirah
A blend of Grenache with Durif, the other name for Petite Sirah.
Grapes it works with
- Grenache
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Petite Sirah
- Sangiovese
- Chardonnay
- Chenin Blanc
- In the vineyard and the cellar
- separate vinification by valley and vineyard
What to taste
Maat, a Grenache from Valle de San Vicente with 15 months in barrel, against Kojaa, a Petite Sirah from Guadalupe Valley: the idea of the house in two glasses.
Why go
Compare wines from three valleys at the same table, in a hilltop tasting room ringed with sculptures, with the founding winemaker behind every label.
The visit
Receives visitors. Confirm the hours before you go. Reservations are recommended.
Offers:TastingsTours
Tastings and tours
Hours
- Thursday11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Friday11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Saturday11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hours are subject to change. Confirm with the winery before your visit.
Getting there
Calle Lerdo de Tejada esq. Ignacio Comonfort, San Antonio de las Minas, Ensenada, B.C. · Get directions ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Open the driving route in Google Maps:
- Directions from your location (opens in a new tab)
- Directions from San Diego, CA (opens in a new tab)
- Directions from San Ysidro Port of Entry (opens in a new tab)
- Directions from Ensenada (opens in a new tab)
- Directions from Tijuana (opens in a new tab)
- Directions from Tijuana Airport (opens in a new tab)
- Directions from Tecate (opens in a new tab)
