“Move Over Malbec, Bonarda is Argentina’s Next Red.” – Wine Folly

Make your moves Operatives, we may have found the BEST one!

Would you be more enticed if we called this a Charbono? Because that’s what Bonarda is. In any event, Pinot and Zin fans, this one is for you because variety is the spice of life. Wine is the safest practice for variety in life if you think about it, when asked “what’s this Bonarda thing?” you don’t really have to start with “honey, it’s not what it looks like, I can explain!”

Well, let’s explain anyway, just to be safe.

Remember the “B” Malbec blend from the same Bodega Familia Blanco we featured not too long ago? The one Descorchados urged us to “make room in your cellar” and gave it 94 points? Well, this little Bonarda went to the market with it, and we were FLOORED when we tasted them side by side. How could a cute, cuddly, juicy-as-can-be red stand up on its own feet next to a massive Bordeaux blend, we thought. It obviously has Charbono genes… and not just that, but the flagship actually has 11% of this very same Bonarda in there to add red and blue fruit tones elevating its complexity. So here it is, in its purest form…

Can a wine be described as crunchy? Between the refreshing succulence and that feeling you get biting into a cold nectarine, it’s exactly that. Plump and juicy, with expressive blackberry, bramble and savory pepper flavors follow a nose that is distinct as can be, with boysenberries, nectarine, spearmint, laurel, exotic flowers, and spices. The finish lasts longer than chewing on chocolate-coated orange peel, tastes that delicious too. It’s so unique that being enjoyed on its own, chilled, is best, think of it as stealing the next party, far more revitalizing and complex than a pitcher of red sangria. Just under 12%, it’s easy on the alcohol too.

Renowned consulting winemaker Giuseppe Franceschini here claims that “great wine is the perfect link connecting the best work of nature with the best work of man.” From pristine vineyards soaring over 3,000 feet in the Andes, the terroir of Luján de Cuyo’s Ugarteche district is singular, locally and globally. The freshness in these wines is from the high elevation, providing intense, long sunshine hours, pristine snowmelt feeding roots, and a cool mountain microclimate with dramatic temperature swings between day and night.

A pallet is all we’ve got… call it Bonarda or Charbono. Either way it truly shines above the clouds.

93 Points – Descorchados

“An excellent look at Bonarda. From a 55-year-old vineyard in the Ugarteche zone, they’ve opted not to age it in oak and to let the best expression of the variety and this selection of micro-blocks of old vines to really shine. The acidity is firm, the tannic texture is fine and piercing, and the alcohol is low in order to show the fresher, redder side of the variety. A nervy Bonarda, full of life.”