Durigutti Bonarda Classico 2018
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Suckling
James
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James Suckling
For this humble grape, this is a wine with an astonishing amount of wild berries, underlined very nicely by some sappy tannins. Ideal for anything served with tomato sauce.
Other Vintages
2019-
Suckling
James
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Suckling
James
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Suckling
James
Hector and Pablo were born in Mendoza, the cradle of wine and were raised together. Their childhood and their home were always connected to a sensorial world, with aromas, ingredients, and flavors that, over time, motivated them to choose the path to become enologists. As adults, they would find these familiar memories and similar passions. Since 2002 they have been dedicated to their project as a small family winery. Today the brothers have evolved to form the new generation of winemakers, leading an evolutionary change in Argentina’s viticulture. With that same spirit, the Durigutti brothers craft their wines and have started to write their own history, a family legacy, in a chosen place where they live and work daily with dedication.
Bonarda is a name given to a handful of distinct grape varieties, mainly growing in Italy and in Argentina. In Lombardy’s Oltrepò Pavese and Emilia Romagna’s Colli Piacentini zones, the grape called Bonarda is actually Croatina. In Novara, Bonarda Novarese, often blended with Spanna (Nebbiolo), is actually Uva Rara. DNA profiling shows that most of the Bonarda in Argentina is actually identical to California’s Charbono—and Charbono is actually the Douce Noire grape from Savoie. Somm Secret—Bonarda Piemontese, an aromatic variety, is the only true Bonarda. Before phylloxera, it covered 30% of Piedmontese vineyard acreage.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.