La Posta Bonarda Estela Armando 2022, Mendoza, Argentina

100% Bonarda. 10 months in 70% second-use French and 30% second-use American barrels. The Armando Vineyard has come a long way since current owner Estela Armando’s grandfather began making wine there in the 1880s, transporting it over the mountains by mule, and selling it to workers on the Trans-Andean railroad. The present Bonarda vineyard was planted by her grandfather and father in 1963. The combination of a unique place, old vines, and very little irrigation creates grapes of unusually high quality. ‘La Posta’ or ‘tavern’ – Where the grape growners and importers drank wine and spoke passionately for hours about their soils, their vines, and their quest for superior flavors in their grapes. This wine is a salute to the hard work and skill of growers like Estela Armando, by offering this vineyard-designated release made solely with her special Bonarda grapes. Intense ruby color with bright aromas of fresh red & black raspberries and subtle smoky oak notes. The flavor of freshly-crushed raspberries is echoed on the palate, along with notes of leather, dark chocolate, and a touch of sandalwood on the finish. Though quite rich and hedonistic, the seamless structure of this wine makes it a candidate for drinking in its youth or over the next few years.