The Bonarda Grape

On my return trip from Orlando yesterday, I stopped by one of my favorite and most visited travel spots – the Vino Volo wine bar across from gate C4 at Dulles Airport.  As I’ve written before, Vino Volo is a creation of genius.  I’ve been to each of the Vino Volo locations with the exception of the San Antonio airport location (I’m thinking the owner should just send me a round trip ticket to/from San Antonio so I can mark this last one off my list).

On this day, I had a hankering for something different so Jay, the wine bartender, recommended the Familia Mayol made from the Bonarda grape.  Perfect – a grape that I had never had or heard of.

I was surprised to learn that the Bonarda grape is the most widely planted varietal in Argentina – although a couple of sites I’ve found noted that the Bonarda is actually the second most planted grape in Argentina.  Bonarda is also grown here in the States under the assumed identity, Charbono.  Bonarda can be traced back to the Piedmont region of Italy, where it is often blended with Barbera.  Here’s a link to a site with a lot of interesting info on the Bonarda grape.

Familia Mayol 2007 Bonarda - Familia Mayol, started in 1990, is located in the Mendoza region of Argentina.  Deep inky purple in color.  Big ol nose of blueberry pie, prune, pine straw on a wet ground (yes, really) and an herbal component.  Full mouth feel with medium tannins along with more blueberry, mint and a real raisin finish.  I typically do not like these big fruity wines, but this one was well balanced with pure fruit aromas and flavors.  In addition to the glass I purchased at Vino Volo, I took a bottle to go for dinner that paired well with burgers on the deck.  This was $9/glass and $23/bottle at Vino Volo (you may be able to find this one a local retail location for ~$14/$15). 

Thanks to the Vino Volo crew for turning me on to another great wine!

 On Facebook?   Facebook me:    www.facebook.com/frank.j.morgan

_________________________________

Yet Another Argentinean Value

As I have written here before, the high quality value reds coming out of South America today are amazing (either that or I’m easily impressed).  Chile and Argentina are the place to look for big value wines in the current economic malaise – it’s hard to match the bang for your wine buck (or QPR) available in Argentina or Chile.

I had this wine for dinner at the Marriott in Portsmouth, United Kingom (near Havant).  This wine cost about 18 pounds/bottle (~$26US/bottle) at the hotel, which means that the normal retail price here in the states is under $10US.  Finca has wide distribution throughout the UK, primarily at Waitrose stores.  Here in the States, distribution is a bit more limited, mostly in NY, NJ, and CT.

Finca Flichman Shiraz 2007  

Based in Mendoza, the Finca Flichman vineyards date back to 1873.  The company is now run by Sogrape, a Portuguese viticulture group. The wine… Dark purple color with dark cherry and licorice wafting from the glass along with slight aromas of earth and tobacco.  A bit woody in the mouth with vanilla and dark berries.

At this price point, this wine has a solid, fair Quality-Price Ratio.  Looking for really good wines that are easy on the wallet, check out Chilean and Argentinean imports!

______________________________

Saint Jeannet – The (very) Rare Grape

Perhaps a better title for this post is, ‘Indy/Rare/Small-Lot Wine of the Week.’ 

I’ve been on an Argentinean kick lately, not sure why, but I grabbed this one with no hesitation a few weeks ago at a Bon Vivant Wine Guild tasting.

The Saint Jeannet is a very rare grape – grown in just a couple of places around the world (yes, seriously, just a couple).  Since this was my first exposure to this particular varietal I Googled it and was surprised by how little information there is available for Saint Jeannet.  I was only able to find a few references online – one of which noted that there is only one Saint Jeanet vineyard remaining in the world (in Argentina) – enough for just 500 cases of wine per year per planet.  Wow!  Given the lack of information available for this grape, I was unable to validate this information, but can only assume it’s near the truth.

Campo Negro 2007 Saint Jeannet

From Mendoza, Argentina.  Pale straw color.  13% alcohol.  $12.75/bottle.  Very interesting nose reminiscent of Sauvignon Blanc at first with crisp grapefruit and lemon, followed by doughnut dough and éclair crème aromas (reminded me of a dunkin donuts).  Lively acidity with tart tropical fruits in the mouth and a pear finish.

 

An interesting grape!

______________________________