April's Wine of the Month - Bonnigal-Bodet "Diabolicot" 2022 Touraine, Loire Valley

April’s Wine of the Month is Bonnigal-Bodet’s 2022 Diabolicot from Touraine, Loire Valley. This wine was carbonic macerated and whole cluster fermented before it was aged for 6 months in neutral barrels. Light tea spice hits the palate first and dries the taste buds, blood orange, black plums and soft black cherry fruit coats the mouth. Subtle white pepper and hints of olive pull out more tea spice creating an elegant balance of savory and fruity. When Jean-Baptiste Bonnigal took over his family’s vineyard in 2015, with his long-time friend Stephane Bodet, some might have thought it would be overwhelming for the young winemaker. Not only did Jean-Baptiste have his ancestors looking over him in the family vineyards, but he also learned a whole lot from his Father-in-law who just so happens to be one of our store’s favorite French winemakers; Francois Chidaine.  

Malbec is such a diverse grape and to me it is one of those grapes that is really influenced by where it is grown. When grown in Argentina, bold, spice forward wine is what you can expect. In France you are more likely to find the grape called Cot rather than Malbec. In Cot you can expect a dark look, but fruit forward and light floralness to be the main characteristics of the wine. Another thing that is enjoyable about this wine, besides it’s lovely flavor profile, the play on the name; Diabolicot, taking the French word diabolique and adding the French word for Malbec to it just adds a little more quirkiness.