To honor April as Earth Month and to celebrate World Malbec Day on April 17th, my Wine of the Week is the 2020 Domaine Bousquet “Virgen” Organic Malbec.

Domaine Bousquet only produces wines from organically grown grapes and is Argentina’s largest exporter of organic-fruit wines. The wines are widely available in the U.S. (over 100,000 cases are sold in the U.S. alone)

Their Virgen collection of wines takes organics to the next level from the vineyard into the winery. They define Domaine Bousquet’s USDA-certified, no-sulfites-added, vegan, organic wines.

Disclosure: Wine provided as a media sample. No other compensation was involved. All opinions are mine.

Fruit for this wine is sourced from their estate vineyards situated at 4,000 feet in the Uco Valley, in the foothills of the Andes. At that elevation the vines, which are planted on a mix of sandy/gravel soils benefits from brilliant sunlight and 50^⸰F degree temperature swings between day and night.

The results are very fresh wines with pure, ripe fruit flavors

Tasting Note: Deep violet color with enticing black currant, red plum, violet, vanilla and mocha aromas. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied with juicy acidity and fine-grained tannins. It shows ripe, fresh black currant, red plum, dried sour cherry flavors accented with notes of vanilla and mocha. 14.5% abv| SRP – 14.5%|88pts

I’ve enjoyed many Domaine Bousquet wines and you’ll be hard pressed to find USDA certified organic wines that offer the same quality for the price.

Please note there is a subtle, but important distinction between wines made from organic grapes and wine that is certified organic by the USDA. Most wine has some amount of sulfites which prevent it from being certified by the USDA. Domaine Bousquet has taken organics to the next level, from the vineyard to the winery because there are no sulfites added. The wines are also vegan.

About Domaine Bousquet

During a vacation to Argentina in 1990, third-generation  French winemaker Jean Bousquet (Boo-SKAY) fell in love with the  Gualtallary Valley, a scenic, remote, arid (dessert really) terrain high in the Tupungato district of the Uco Valley in Argentina’s Mendoza region, close to the border with Chile.   With altitudes ranging up to 5,249 feet, Gualtallary occupies the highest extremes of Mendoza’s viticultural limits.

Bousquet was so convinced of the potential of the region, he began divesting himself, bit by bit, of virtually everything he owned, including the family winery and vineyards in Pennautier, near Carcassonne in Southwest France.

In 1997 Bousquet purchased about a 1,000 acres of under developed land:  tracts of semi-desert, nothing planted, no water above ground, no electricity and a single dirt track by way of access.  Locals dismissed the area as too cold for growing grapes. Bousquet, on the other hand, reckoned he’d found the perfect blend between his French homeland (high acidity, cool climate) and the New World (sunny, with a potential for relatively fruit-forward wines).

Whenever,  the need arose, Bousquet would sell off portions of his initial 988 acres, retaining just 173 acres by the time he released his first vintage in 2005. Bottle by bottle, money was raised to buy a vat or equipment. Today, Domaine Bousquet is housed in a striking modern winery, complete with a hospitality area and restaurant.

Bousquet’s daughter, economist Anne Bousquet, and her husband Labid Al Ameri, a successful trader with Fidelity in Boston, found themselves increasingly drawn to the cause, including the opportunity it offered to put their shared philosophy on sustainability into effect. After a 2002 trip to Argentina, the couple began to invest in Domaine Bousquet. In 2005, Al Ameri joined his father-in-law full time, helping with the construction of the winery. Anne continued her work as an economist, before joining the company in 2008. In 2009, the couple moved to Tupungato full-time, assuming full ownership of Domaine Bousquet in 2011.

Sustainability, Climate Action and Social Responsibility

In addition their fruit being organically certified (Ecocert), Vegan (Veg Argentina), Gluten-free and sustainable (Bodegas de Argentina), they operate with respect for human and environmental rights (Fair for Life). Futhermore, biodynamic principles are also being used in their vineyards and Demeter Biodynamic certification expected soon. Bousquet is also working toward becoming a Certified B Corporation.

Domaine Bousquet was the first winery outside the U.S. to earn Regenerative Organic Certified™ Status,

Recognizing that farming alone isn’t enough to address the critical issue of climate action, Domaine Bousquet is a founding member of the Sustainable Wine Roundtable (“SWR”), a unique coalition of leading wine brands, small producers, distributors, retailers, and environmental organizations who are united in their commitment to make the wine sector a leader in sustainability.

A global problem, a global solution. It’s common sense. As a trained economist, I firmly believe climate change must be combated with practical, implementable, and measurable global sustainability standards. With some of the best minds and leaders in the wine industry working together via the Sustainable Wine Roundtable, we can win the battle.” — Co-owner Domaine Bousquet, Anne Bousquet

Source

From droughts, to flooding, raising temperatures and wildfires. Social pressures around workers’ rights and diversity, the wine industry, like many others, has significant issues that need addressing, and SWR committed to raising awareness around these issues and developing best practices to address them.

Domaine Bousquet is exactly the kind of producer I want to support. They’re producing delicious affordable wines and helping save the planet!

Bravo!