Château Malartic-Lagravière and Bodega DiamAndes, Channeling Bordeaux Elegance and Mendoza Terroir

Château Malartic-Lagravière and Bodega DiamAndes, Channeling Bordeaux Elegance and Mendoza Terroir
February 7, 2025

Vintage dependent, reflective of soils, shaped by history, and expressive of climate, Bordeaux wines encompass a sense of “somewhereness”, what the French so aptly call ”terroir”. It is what makes Bordeaux unique, made in Blanc and Rouge versions, they are defined by region, which encompasses soils and climate. The same can be said of Argentina, with its high altitude, intense sun, and cooler climate, vivid fruit is grown at the foothills of the Andes Mountains, a definite sweet spot for Malbec and other Bordeaux varieties. The Bonnie Family of Bordeaux are invested in this concept of terroir across different hemispheres, Old World and New World, elevating both their Bordeaux and Argentinean properties towards excellence. Their philosophy transcends borders, translating the elegance of Bordeaux wine to the raw beauty of Argentina’s extreme terroir, a story of rebirth and innovation on two continents.

Courtesy of Château Malartic-Lagravière

The Bonnie Family’s story starts in Bordeaux. Here in the Graves region of Pessac-Léognan is Château Malartic-Lagravière, inhabiting a gravel hill interspersed with limestone, home to densely planted rows of Cabernet Sauvignon vines. It is one of only six châteaux that are Classified Growths for red and white wine, the wines considered Grand Cru Classé de Graves since 1953.

Château Malartic-Lagravière’s history runs deep. Renowned for its quality terroir for centuries, it was known as Domaine de La Gravière, and eventually acquired by the Count of Malartic family in the late 1700’s. In 1850, a new owner added the Malartic name to Lagravière in tribute, and accumulated a few small plots to add to the estate. “La Minerve”, Admiral Malartic’s ship, became the symbol of the property, a nod to his illustrious career as a French Navy officer and French Colonial Governor. The wines were celebrated for their excellence over the years but lost their lustor in recent decades due to serious underinvestment in the property. And this is where the tide turns.

Alfred-Alexandre and Michèle Bonnie, Courtesy of Château Malartic-Lagravière

(L-R) Véronique, Jean-Jacques and Séverine Bonnie, Courtesy of Château Malartic-Lagravière

The Bonnie family have been the stewards of this property since 1997, when Belgian businessman Alfred-Alexandre Bonnie and his wife, Michèle, purchased the estate after an extensive hunt for the right project. Determined to restore Château Malartic-Lagravière to its previous glory, the Bonnies replanted vineyards, built new winery facilities and renovated the château, all in the quest to improve the quality of the wine while being environmentally friendly. In addition, they acquired more land, buying neighboring Château Gazin-Rocquencourt and DiamAndes in Argentina.

In 2019, their children, Véronique and Jean-Jacques, took over the reins, with Séverine, Jean-Jacques wife, as Director of Communications, shining the spotlight on their wines on the world stage. From 2020 forward, the Malartic-Lagravière wine labels were updated, adding the Famille Bonnie sticker, which pays tribute to the past while connecting the present and the future of the winery.

Courtesy of Château Malartic-Lagravière

The appellation of Pessac-Léognan is relatively new, created in 1987 in the Bordeaux Graves, yet viticulture has flourished here for over 2000 years. Fighting urban sprawl from nearby Bordeaux city, Château Malartic-Lagravière’s vineyards of gravel and some clay are framed by pine forests and rivers. Today, the 73 hectares of vines are planted mainly to Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, while a small amount is dedicated to Sauvignon and Semillon for their white wines. It is in these vineyards that “Grand Cru” comes to life, carefully farmed for today and the future. And it seems to be successful, as the vineyards have matured, the vines have come into better balance, producing wines that are concentrated yet still fresh and vibrant with silky tannins.

Véronique Bonnie with both Malartic-Lagravière and DiamAndes wines at Wally's Beverly Hills

Véronique Bonnie came to Los Angeles to share the exciting progression of her family’s wine business in early December, meeting with a few wine journalists over lunch at Wally’s Beverly Hills. For Véronique, it was also a chance to showcase the family’s newest wine venture, DiamAndes in Argentina, and the potential it holds. We tasted eight wines, five of which were DiamAndes, one Gazin-Rocquencourt and the two Malartic flagship Grand Cru Classé bottles.

The Château Malartic-Lagravière 2018 Grand Cru Classé Blanc is simply brilliant, 90% Sauvignon Bland and 10% Semillon, aromatic and elegant with a balance of richness and acidity. Its complexity is revealed in layers, mineral, spice, apricot, passion fruit, lemon pie, custard, and a note of tropical fruit, it’s at the beginning of a long life.

The Château Malartic-Lagravière 2015 Grand Cru Classé Rouge is a masterclass of Bordeaux red, a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, where the complexity of blackberry and raspberry fruit, mocha, pencil lead, spice, and cedar aromas swirl around a textured, rich and subtle oak-framed finish.

The Château Gazin Rocquencourt 2016 Rouge, a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot, comes from the neighboring property which was added to the Bonnie family holdings in 2005. Succulent with plum and berry fruit, notes of spice, mint and flowers carry through the vibrant body.

Bodega DiamAndes, Courtesy of Bodega DiamAndes

Courtesy of Bodega DiamAndes

The newest project, Bodega DiamAndes, is the largest estate for the Bonnie family, with over 130 hectares, located in the Valle de Uco region of Argentina’s Mendoza. Named by Bonnie family patriarch Alfred-Alexandre, DiamAndes is a play on the words, “Diamante” and “Andes”, inspired by the reflection of the Maipo volcano on the lagoon, Laguna del Diamante, which he observed during a barbecue there, and so the “Diamond of the Andes” was born. DiamAndes is planted primarily to Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Syrah, in addition to the white varieties of Chardonnay and Viognier. Due to the high altitude, low humidity and diurnal temperature swings of the Andean terroir, the fruit ripens very well, with a concentration of aromas and tannins while maintaining fresh acidity.

Courtesy of Michel Rolland and BK Wine Photography

Courtesy of Bodega DiamAndes

The Bonnie Family came to Argentina at the urging of renowned wine consultant Michel Rolland. He started the Clos de los Siete project in 1998, gathering together a group of Bordeaux winemakers to establish and invest in his concept, to create a large, single block vineyard of 850 hectares that would be cultivated with all the expertise of the great Bordeaux wine estates, and that would maximize the sunny, high altitude terroir of gravelly soils. Together, four families produce this single prestigious wine to the highest standards. But each of the bodegas also produce their own range of wines, guided by Rolland’s expertise. DiamAndes bottles ten wines in three different levels, under the “Wine Bottled Estate” concept, which translates to only estate grown grapes used in the production of their wines. Certified organic and sustainable practices are followed, and all the work is done by hand, so that the wines are a pure expression of the vineyard while respecting the environment for the future.

Véronique Bonnie with wine journalists at Wally's Beverly Hills

Véronique likes making wine in two different hemispheres, when the Bordeaux harvest is done, then the family can concentrate on the Argentinean production. She finds it works really well, “if you want to try new ideas, you have two tries a year, otherwise you just have one.” There’s a lot of exchange between the two estates, the Bonnies and the Bordeaux vineyard manager travel to Argentina a few times a year to learn and collaborate on making the best of the vintage year. Véronique emphasized, “We are coming to Argentina with a Bordeaux philosophy of elegance, smoothness and aging capability.”

Perlita means “Little Pearl” in Spanish, and DiamAndes introductory level Perlita wines have a lot of charm, we sampled the red and white versions. The DiamAndes Perlita 2020 Malbec-Syrah is delicious, 80% Malbec and 20% Syrah, juicy and silky with dark cherry fruit, black olive, spice and violet notes, a very good deal for SRP $17. The DiamAndes Perlita 2022 Chardonnay, which is 100% Chardonnay matured in stainless steel and the lees, is all about the freshness and fruit, notes of green apple, pear, and nutty accents lead to a refreshing yet creamy palate.

Véronique Bonnie of Château Malartic-Lagravière

Véronique explained, “I think we are trying to understand the place, and finding the good moments. These two Perlita wines reflect what we want for this range of wine, very much on the fruit, the juiciness, not a very complicated or complex structure, because it’s more about enjoying the wines. And for Malbec, getting into it in a very nice and friendly way, keeping the fruitiness of Malbec but not becoming too jammy.” According to Véronique, even though the Perlita wines are young, the 2020 will last 10 years.

The next step up are the Diamandes de Uco, single varietal wines that express the intensity of the terroir. The DiamAndes de Uco 2021 Malbec is vivid, with aromas and flavors of blackberry, plum, herbs, and violets, it’s juicy and smooth.

Finally, the Diamandes de Uco Grande Reserve wines offer the peak of Andean expression for Bodega DiamAndes. The DiamAndes Grande Reserve 2022 Chardonnay is vibrant with apple and peach fruit, accents of baking spice notes, a creamy texture within an oak frame, yet it maintains its freshness. The DiamAndes Grande Reserve 2019 Malbec-Cabernet, a blend of 75% Malbec and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, is plush and silky, opulent with notes of blackberry, chocolate, spice and cedar, it’s rich and velvety, a creamy texture with a long finish.

Courtesy of Bodega DiamAndes

In 2023, DiamAndes was recognized as one of the 50 World’s Best Vineyards, and has also become a travel destination, offering a high-end restaurant with seasonal menus that compliment DiamAndes wines. And the wines continue to improve as time passes, with a better understanding of meshing the art of Bordeaux with the raw beauty of Argentinean terroir.

The Bonnie Family, Courtesy of Bodega DiamAndes

Véronique and the Bonnie Family are reaping the rewards of their investment into Château Malartic-Lagravière yet are excited with the potential of Bodega DiamAndes. It’s a nice blend of present and future, with the promise of more complexity to come.

Château Malartic-Lagravière, https://www.malartic-lagraviere.com/en/

Bodega DiamAndes, https://www.diamandes.com/en/