Okay, so this may be the least odd of my Oddball series to date. (So far, I’ve done Lagrein, Prieto Picudo, and rosé of Spatburgunder.) I bet many of you have heard of Bonarda from Argentina, and some of you may have tried it. What makes it an oddball to me is no one seems to know just what in the hell it is. Is it the same Bonarda as in Italy? Or is it really Charbono? Or could it be related to Dolcetto?

Here’s an inexpensive example that was recommended to me. Let’s check it out.

Durigutti Bonarda 2007 Mendoza

Producer: Durigutti Winemakers

Grapes: “Bonarda” (More on the tangled past of Argentine Bonarda in a future post.)

Appellation: Mendoza (Argentina)

Vineyards: From vineyards in Luján de Cuyo and San Carlos

Winemaking: The winemakers take a natural approach, fermenting with native yeasts and leaving the wine unfiltered and unfined. And this is a first for me, I think: the website says the wine is spent 18 months in “stave-studded cement tanks (first use American oak).” Anyone familiar with that process?

Alcohol: 13.9%

Price: $10.53 at Spec’s in Austin.

My tasting notes: The first thing I think of when I sniff this wine is “grapey” – but not just any grapey-ness, it makes me think of Grapples. Have you ever seen these frankenfruit? They are apples that have been infused with Concord grape flavor. I’ve never tasted one, but I’ve smelled them at the grocery store. They are way more aromatic than actual grapes in the produce section, but in a somewhat artificial way. Anyway, back to the wine… I also get cherries, a bit of wood smoke, a whiff of vegetal character and, oddly, a sort of caramel quality (Mrs. VINEgeek contributed this last note, which I was struggling to ID). On the palate, it hits you with sweet, fruit-bomb intensity at the very beginning, but then it drys up quickly and goes slightly bitter, in a good way. The fruit flavors are in the red family: more cherries and a hint of raspberry, maybe some plum as well. It ends with some tannic grip, but isn’t especially lengthy. By the second glass, some of the complexity seems to be evaporating and I’m left with something juicy, but fairly simple.

Overall impression: Interesting initially, but in the end, not totally sold on it. B-/C+

Free association:

More info:

87 points from Wine Spectator.

Production was 4500 cases.