The entire Bonner Private Wine Partnership team is scattered to the four winds. Barry is returning from Australia (“a very productive trip.”) Diego is returning from Chile (“some of the most beautiful vineyards I have ever seen.”) And we are departing soon for Central America.
The big news this past week: We finally cracked open the most recent issue of Wine Enthusiast. Generally speaking, we ignore magazines like Enthusiast and Decanter, with their predictable think pieces on why the wine industry needs more diversity or how California’s Bogle Vineyards is – surprise, surprise – still great!
That said, this recent issue reeled us in with an irresistible hook: the top 100 wines of 2019.
And what did we find there at No. 13 and No. 84... but two very familiar names...
More on that in a moment...
First, in this week’s tasting lesson, our resident wine expert Julien Miquel tackles Pinot Noir… from its one-thousand-year history (Pinot Noir is one of the oldest grapes still in use – for reference, Cab Sauv only dates back to the 17th century)... to today’s big names in Burgundy, California, and New Zealand... to what type of wine glass to use... and how to spot the emblematic “Griotte” flavor...
Bonner Wines Named in Top 100 of 2019 (continued)
Upon opening the Top 100 Wines of 2019 list we found two familiar names.
The first, at No. 13, was Mendel 2017 Malbec!
Some of our Bonner Private Wine Partnership members will no doubt remember the 2017 Mendel Cab Sauv from Argentina’s Luján de Cuyo region. Made by Roberto de la Mota, one of Argentina’s most storied winemakers, it was an elegant wine with a mischievous note of spice and black pepper.
The 2017 Mendel Cab Sauv
The second, at No. 84, was none other than the 2016 Lamadrid Cab Franc. Those who have been with the Partnership since the beginning will remember the 2015 Lamadrid Cab Sauv – a favorite from our very first Argentine collection! We hope some of you have kept a bottle in the cellar as we expect this wine to have a very interesting evolution over the next seven years.
The 2015 Lamadrid Cab Sauv
With the Argentine winery Zuccardi named World’s Best Vineyard last year (and the Calchaquí Valley winery of Colomé coming in at number 25), it’s clear that Argentina’s popularity is on the rise. And for good reason...
Till next time...
The Wine Explorer