WTN: 2006 Bonterra Vineyards Chardonnay, Mendocino County

Picked up this wine and the BV Coastal Estates Sauvignon Blanc at the grocery store after they were listed among the best value wines for 2008 in "Wine Enthusiast." This one found more favor with me than the BV Sauvignon Blanc.
13.8% alcohol by volume, made from organic grapes, barrel aged in French and American oak. Retails for about $11-$13.
Medium straw color. Some oak on the nose along with green apple. Crisp apple/pear flavors in the mouth. Good acids--balanced. Crisp, tasty and food-friendly. I had it over several nights with chicken in white-wine sauce and saffron rice. I would consider purchasing again for a midweek wine.

(Is this a Brown-Forman brand Hoke?)

The Bonterra, yes. The BV, no.

So thanks for the kind words about Bonterra, JC.

I've found Bonterra wines to be an excellent and consistent value. I just wish they'd do something about that terminally dull label they use. It does the wine a disservice. Does it really matter? No, of course, it's what's inside that counts - but for a visual person a nice label is such a thing of beauty and promise.

I've found Bonterra wines to be an excellent and consistent value. I just wish they'd do something about that terminally dull label they use. It does the wine a disservice. Does it really matter? No, of course, it's what's inside that counts - but for a visual person a nice label is such a thing of beauty and promise.

I hear you, Bob.

That label, done in muted earth tones, isn't exactly a leap-off-the-shelf piece of eye candy, is it?

It's a holdover, actually, from the original design, which was done in house by a bunch of tree-hugging hippie types.

Truthfully, the original creator/designers were terminally serious about what they were doing, so they wanted to design a label and package that embodied he sustainable/organic approach to things---essentially, they wanted the package to "walk the walk" they were talking with the way they grew the vines.

So they put a lot of effort into the package, to make it that way. First they used partially recycled glass (when few others were doing that). Then they made the label from kenaf, which is a bush that is farmed in Mexico from which you can make paper---with the idea that it was a renewable resource, and you "didn't have to cut down a tree to enjoy the wine". The fact that the kenaf is related to the sensemilla plant was an ....er, interesting...happenstance, given that Bonterra was in Mendcino

Then they used only soy-based inks, instead of the usual metallic-based. Better for the environment. They also, on the original package, used corks topped with natural beeswax instead of paper and metal capsules.

All of which was great, and it made for good stories to tell. And as you say, doesn't have anything to do with what's inside the bottle.

They have since modified the package (no more beeswax!) and spiffed up the label so it pops a little more. But it's still difficult to get a dun and dark brown label to look dynamic, innit? Bit of our heritage there, though.

Very interesting update there Hoke. The Bonterra Cab is a good seller at the Grill here, but then we all know that it sells well everywhere!

Great story Hoke. As something of a tree-hugging former hippie type myself I appreciate what they were trying to do with it. And are the inks still soy based and is the paper still kenaf? All too often when you reference, or imitate something, the power of the original gets diluted or lost. You know this of course. Imagine a dusty bottle pulled from a recently discovered cellar with a torn duff colored label labeled by hand in ink now mostly faded. What could be more exciting than that? Now reproduce that and mass-market it. It's gone. I bet that original bottle with the beeswax seal was lovely. I'm sure the very talented folks at Brown Forman have put a lot of thought into this, and I understand the need to maintain a product identity. None the less, in the end it does the wine a disservice IMHO. Almost every bottle of Bordeaux, even the cheapest $12 bottle, holds the promise of something special and magic inside, mostly because the labels are so evocative. I know a lot of graphic designers right here in River City who'd love to take on the challenge of re-designing Bonterra's labels. Lovely wines though.

It was interesting to hear the "back story" of the label.

Thanks for all the information. Unlike many other producers recommended around here, the Bonterra Wines are available throughout the state!

I bet that original bottle with the beeswax seal was lovely.

well, it had it's points, Bob, but I wasn't particularly fond of it.

Oh, I liked all the parts I described, but the bottle they used was a unique design with a fat body and one of those flanged tops. It was definitely distinctive---but for me that wasn't great, because it wouldn't fit in any of the wine racks! Plus, if you put it in a lay down bin, the bottles wouldn't "nestle" easily, so they always lookd jumbled.

And any good retailer will (and usually does) complain about that kind of thing.

And we discovered with the beeswax thingie that 1) it was a bit messy sometimes to pop that beeswax plug off the top, and 2) many people would just put the corkscrew right through the beeswax, and then get the beeswax plug stuck on the screw when they pulled the cork off it. Minor annoyance, but still an annoyance.

It's the little things...

[David M. Bueker]

This is not meant to be a dig, but I remember Jancis Robinson (in her video series WIne Course) saying that the thing they were best at recycling was information about their recycling.

This is not meant to be a dig, but I remember Jancis Robinson (in her video series WIne Course) saying that the thing they were best at recycling was information about their recycling.

Well, you see, that's what happens when you fervently believe in what you are doing and want to tell everone else about it.

Bonterra was one of the pioneers of this approach, so we had to explain in great detail.

Must've worked, as now everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. Now we have to delineate what "shade of green" some of these wineries are.

[David M. Bueker]

Now we have to delineate what "shade of green" some of these wineries are.

My wife (former environmental remediation project manager) has always wanted to get into something like certifying sustainability.

Now we have to delineate what "shade of green" some of these wineries are.

My wife (former environmental remediation project manager) has always wanted to get into something like certifying sustainability.

With the current focus on such, I think that kind of job is...uh...sustainable.

An increasing number of restaurants are also going for certification as organic (to the extent they can be--for example, if fish are pulled from the ocean, they are what they are.) Nora's, in Washington, DC has many organic products on their menu and is a very high quality restaurant--with prices to match.

An increasing number of restaurants are also going for certification as organic (to the extent they can be--for example, if fish are pulled from the ocean, they are what they are.) Nora's, in Washington, DC has many organic products on their menu and is a very high quality restaurant--with prices to match.

JC, I'm familiar with Nora's. Good restaurant, and a pretty good wine program too.

Yeah, sustainable/organics is really making strides these days in all venues. The consciousness is higher, among businesses and consumers, and there's way more availabiity of products out there.

Of course, as with everything else, you have to be aware of what things are, and how committed certain companies are to the line they're talking. But many, many producers these days are getting involved in sustainable/organic/biodynamic.

[James Roscoe]

Here is an article that might interest those of you in the sustainability and green corner from the Washington Post.