Casa Gracia

A Jorge Gracia Gem among the High-Altitude Boulders of the Valle de Guadalupe

Tucked strikingly into massive boulders jutting from its mountaintop perch, this bold villa combines concrete, glass, steel and wood to create a panoramic retreat high above Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe wine country, the region’s deeply wrinkled peaks silhouetted as backdrop.

Owned and managed by Jorge Gracia, the starkly beautiful house is built into the landscape, its raw concrete walls, rich wood ceilings, and oversized panes of glass harmoniously merging with the land’s massive boulders and natural surroundings.

The home is available with four to eight bedrooms. One is a primary suite, and all offer en-suite bathrooms, with 10 total bathrooms in the home. Strong yet serene, the rooms showcase formed concrete and modular wood furnishings, and valley views. There’s a spacious contemporary kitchen, dining, living space behind oversized glass windows.

Outdoors, intimate pathways cut around the boulders, revealing a grill deck, hot tub, fire pits under natural rock eaves, a sauna with panoramic views and the swimming pool terraced into the hillside, surrounded by loungers. Hiking trails depart right out the doors, and elevated balconies were created for cocktail hours, contemplation and stargazing. The home is pet friendly, though not suitable for children.

Around

A charming Mexican coastal town known for its seafood and accessibility to Mexican wine country (the Valle de Guadalupe), Ensenada is located only about 125 kilometers south of San Diego, on the Pacific coast of Mexico’s Baja peninsula. While working ports put Ensenada on the map, with commercial fishing still big today, the town’s location some 65 miles south of the US/Mexico border has long made it a draw for culture, cuisine and cantinas. Plus, its fish tacos (and ceviche) are famous!

What Ensenada’s coastline lacks in glittering resort developments, it more than makes up for in casual street food vendors, cantinas, seafood (and other) markets, plus dozens of sidewalk cafes and casual boutiques. Considered one of the country’s top sports fishing ports, Ensenada’s clear waters are also great for surfing, kayaking, whale watching and beach combing. Ensenada boasts a large Asian community, many residents of Chinese origin whose families came to the region to assist in building railroads, and the city’s food scene reflects that aspect of the population, too, with fun, funky fusions such as chow mein tacos or egg rolls with jalapeno sauce.

Set in a rugged green valley about a half hour from Ensenada, the Valle de Guadalupe has become an increasingly renowned wine growing region nestled in between mountains with a sea breeze wafting in off the Pacific. The Valle de Guadalupe has been producing wines for over 100 years, though international recognition has come only in the last few decades. The area is home to about 90% of Mexico’s wine production and has also become a destination in its own right for sustainable and groundbreaking architecture, Mexican design, boutique hotels and coveted restaurant reservations.

There are over 150 wineries in the region, with creative vintners working with both red and white wine varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel in the red department; Colombard, Chenin Blanc, Semillon for whites, in addition to the more standard Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc). The Valle de Guadalupe region boasts a Mediterranean climate resulting from the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sea of Cortez to its east, and the area is perhaps best known for its independent, high-spirited wine makers, who are free to experiment and are working in organic vineyards, creating biodynamic and “free flow” wines and award-winning blends. Guided rides through the vineyards lead along many dirt roads, though the Ensenada Wine Route is well marked, a tour that snakes through dramatic valleys and arid hilltops to hidden vineyards and beautiful architectural outposts.

Location

Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico. Nearest airport: Tijuana (1 hour); San Diego (2 hours)

Best time to visit

Year-round