Nipped in the bud
Monday, May 26th, 2025
Bill Bonner, writing from Gualfin, Salta Province
Dear Reader,
Happy Memorial Day if you’re in America. We’re leaving the ranch today to head back to Ireland. But our son Will tells us he’s ready to ship out last year’s malbec.
Unfortunately, there’s less of it than usual. A late frost hit the vines just as the grapes were beginning to grow, leaving us with our lowest harvest in ten years.
Tacana, our malbec brand, is becoming a legend in the valley, because it is the highest, single-grape vintage in Argentina, and maybe in the world. The elevation makes for the intense flavor, but it comes at a cost — frost. If it comes too early, the grapes are frozen before they are harvested. If too late, the poor grape is ‘nipped in the bud.’
Until tomorrow,
Bill Bonner
P.S. The 2024 bottles of our Tacana — only 600 cases of them — could be collectors’ items. Don’t wait too long to order.