Tonel 78 Barrel Select Malbec/Bonarda 2017 (Argentina) - Wine Review

Tonight's wine review is a lovely blend consisting of Argentina's two most widely planted grapes - Malbec and Bonarda. This red wine is a new arrival to Ontario and was released into LCBO VINTAGES on March 6th - with plenty of bottles still available across the province.

It is produced by Bodega Los Toneles, a winery founded by the Armando family in 1922. It was initially known as Armando Hermanos, but soon changed its name to Bodega de los Toneles - meaning "winery of the tuns" - due the prominent, huge French oak barrels in which its wines were aged. In 2002, the winery was purchased by the Millán family and they revived its vintage spirit by combining it with a modern approach to return the estate to its former glory.

The winery is located within the city of Mendoza, but its vineyards are scattered across the province. From the beginning, Bodega Toneles determined that wine was the manifestation of the earth and the work of human beings. Thus, they decided that the winery would only use grapes from small-scale vineyards where quality is favoured over quantity, thus preserving the values and personality of each vineyard. The Don Arturo Vineyard is located in El Manzano (Uco Valley) at 1,400 metres above sea level and has calcareous and sandy soils with a high percentage of rocks, resulting in wines of great intensity and aromas, and touches of minerals. The Mantrax Vineyard is located in Chacayes (Uco Valley) at 1,250 metres above sea level and has poor soils with very little rainfall, resulting in small berries with high concentrations of polyphenols.

This Tonel 78 red wine is a unique blend of 50% Malbec and 50% Bonarda that was crafted from selected grapes across their vineyards. It is a tribute to the great Argentine national soccer team that won the '78 World Cup. Let's see if this wine is also a winner...

Tasting Note:

TONEL 78 BARREL SELECT MALBEC/BONARDA 2017 - Mendoza, Argentina (#17380) (XD) - $20.95
This 50/50 blend of Malbec and Bonarda was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. The medium+ intensity aromas offer ripe dark berry, blackberry, and plum that mingle with smoky mineral and wood notes. It's full-bodied on the palate with lovely, balanced aroma replays of ripe dark berry, blackberry, plum, mineral, and wood spice. It has fresh acidity with refined, dense, and chewy tannins and some spicy notes on the mid-palate. Smoky mineral and wood spice notes linger on the slightly grippy finish, with very good length. Enjoy this winner over the next 3-4 years. Score: 90 pts

Other lovely wines from Bodega Los Toneles can be found through their Agent - Perigon Beverage Group.