Dear Member,
It’s been almost two years since we launched the Bonner Private Wine Partnership with a single shipping container packed with wines from the foothills of the Andes Mountains.
The stars of that first collection were two Malbecs from the extreme-altitude Calchaquí Valley: our own Tacana (from the Bonner family ranch at Gualfín) and Sunal Ilógico (from an even higher vineyard at Luracatao, several hours farther up the valley).
Today, we return to this vast frontier where, as The Wall Street Journal described it in 2019, “condors fly above giant cactuses… ancient rock formations vie for attention with Indian ruins… [and where they make] critically acclaimed wines that are largely unavailable outside of the country.”
Accordingly, you will find no Mendoza or Famatina in this collection. These are extreme-altitude wines only—ranging from just over 6,000 feet to nearly 9,000 feet—and sourced from some of the most isolated vineyards in the world.
The isolation and limited production make imports from this area exceptionally rare. To our knowledge, only two of these wines—the RD and the Amar y Vivir—have ever been imported into the United States before, and even then in vanishingly small quantities.
Yet these wines are far from unknown to serious critics. Several wines and winemakers in this collection—despite never having been available in the U.S.—have earned multiple medals, awards, and 90+ point ratings from Robert Parker and Tim Atkin.
A Few Notes on Our Return to the Calchaquí
First, Cabernet Sauvignon plays a larger role alongside Malbec in this collection.
Argentine winemakers often downplay their Cabernet for fear of being labeled Bordeaux pretenders. Yet planting Cabernet in Argentina makes perfect sense. Malbec itself was once a Bordeaux grape, and here Cabernet brings a delicious spice and structure that complements the smoothness of these extreme-altitude Malbecs.
Second, the longevity of these wines remains an open question.
Argentina has little tradition of aging wine, and because bottles from the Calchaquí Valley so rarely leave the region, there is limited historical precedent to draw from. Our best guess is that these wines should bloom within six years. Still, we recommend setting a few bottles aside and seeing what time reveals.
With Argentina increasingly appearing among the world’s top vintages and vineyards—and 2008 high-altitude Catena wines now fetching $598 a bottle—a small cellar of these wines may prove a worthwhile investment.
In This Box
You will find six bottles:
Tacuil RD 2019
Sunal Ilógico Criolla Chica 2018
Francisco Puga y Familia L’Amitié 2019
Piloto de Prueba 2020
Arca Yaco Amar y Vivir 2018
Atypico 2017
It feels good to be back.
To your health,
Will Bonner
Founder, Bonner Private Wine Partnership
