Review: Domaine Bousquet, Virgen Red Blend

I often come across wines that are produced using organically-grown grapes, but I don’t often find wines that are USDA certified organic. This is because sulfites are often added to wines as a preservative, which makes it easier for producers by lowering the risk of flaws developing.

The Virgen Red Blend from Domaine Bousquet, however, is USDA certified organic. That’s not to say it’s 100% sulfite free, because sulfites occur naturally in grapes, but no additional sulfites were added.

While the vineyards at Domaine Bousquet have been farmed organically since their inception in 1997, this is their first release of a wine with no sulfites added.

The vineyards where the grapes for this wine are grown are in an area called Alto Gualtallary, which is a sub-region of Tupangato, in Mendoza, Argentina. This is a sandy, high desert region which provides good conditions for organic grape growing thanks to the low humidity, sandy soils and cool temperatures.

In addition to no sulfites added, this wine was also produced without oak. Therefore the aromas and flavors come purely from the grapes, yeast and vinification.

This wine is quite complex on the nose, offering aromas like violets, blackberry, wildflowers, dried herbs and mushroom. The palate delivers bright blackberry, raspberry and coffee flavors. And I mean it is really bright. I sometimes think of wine like sounds and this wine is in the upper range of the sound spectrum. The mouthfeel is good, with a little bit of texture. The finish is pretty darn long, with lingering berry flavors.

Wine: Domaine Bousquet, Virgen Red Blend
Varieties: 35% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc
Vintage: 2018
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 87
Average price: $13.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.