Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda Clasica 2023

Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda Clasica

Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda Clasica has notes of crunchy red fruits, fresh summer cherry tomatoes and a very distinctive note of licorice, make this a one-of-a-kind red wine that combines pleasure with freshness and intensity, in a very special way for a Bonarda. Ideal to pair with pasta Pomodoro dishes, pizza and light meats. 

Producer

For most of its existence in Argentina, Bonarda was grown and cultivated as blending wine since it could provide big yields that maintained the color and fruitiness. Winemakers often blended this wine with low-grade bulk wine, and for the most part, ignored Bonarda as a serious single varietal wine. However, in 2000 Alberto Antonini and Attilio Pagli, the winemakers of Bodega Altos Las Hormigas, a Malbec specialist, fortuitously discovered the potential of growing single varietal Bonarda in Mendoza.

An early hailstorm had moved quickly and violently through the region, naturally pruning the leaf canopy of a nearby Bonarda vineyard. The vineyard averted major damage, but the harvest yielded only half the usual crop. Upon assessing the damage, the winemakers found that the remaining grapes had a surprising concentration and structure. The resulting wine was beautiful, with gentle texture and lingering flavors. As Alberto recalls, he knew at that moment that he was stuck on Bonarda.

The Altos Las Hormigas team believed in Bonarda´s potential and unique personality early on, and in 2003 began exploring its variations across Mendoza climates and soils. Colonia Las Liebres was established as a sister brand to focus solely on the cultivation of the Bonarda grape. Colonia las Liebres, which means Colony of Hares, depicts a wild hare. This image alludes to the personality of the wine, one that springs from its place of origin, as that of the wild hare that roams our vines, effortlessly bringing along a sense of place.

The first Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda released to the market was the 2003 vintage. In 2005 twenty acres of Estate vines were planted in Lujan de Cuyo. After 10 years of producing and experimenting with Bonarda as a single varietal wine, the team continues to be dedicated supporters and ardent advocates of the future of Bonarda in the global marketplace.

Wine making

"100% Bonarda Argentina organic grapes come from pergola vineyards located in Luján de Cuyo (Mendoza), at 800 m. The area has a semi-desert climate with hot days and cool nights. We choose deep, fresh soils with low fertility to control vigor, delay ripening, and avoid hydrological stress.

These are sandy loams where the clay component provides mineral nutrients and water retention, while the sand component prevents the silt and clay part from compacting excessively, and guarantees water drainage.

Vinified in 300hl stainless steel tanks with temperature control for a duration of 10 days from crushing to pressing, with daily rack-and-return for a gentle extraction. The wine is aged in concrete tanks, receiving no oak treatment in order to preserve freshness and to represent a pure expression of the grape." - Our Story | Colonia Las Liebres

Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda Clasica - Hay Wines