Bodega Tapiz, Bonarda, Uco Valley

This is a wine of substantial weight and immediacy but remains taut, dry and balanced thanks to its dense core of robust earthy tones. Notes of bitter chocolate, aniseed, dried figs and blueberries are the main flavours, all tied together by a lovely sweet smokiness. Big but manageable in the mouth, there is plenty of back-end grip which helps to glue together the bawdy liquorice/tarriness and taper the viscosity, although an ultra-critical drinker might say the alcohol could be better …