CheapWineFinder Podcast
Talking about remarkable wines that pair nicely with your wallet! Because we like to keep it cheap but excellent.
CheapWineFinder Podcast
Bonflor Cabernet: Aldi's $7.99 Ethical Wine Discovery
Uncorking an unexpected treasure from Aldi's wine shelves, we're diving into the Bonflor California Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2023—a remarkable find at just $7.99 that punches well above its weight class. This isn't just another budget bottle; it's a gateway to understanding how sustainable winemaking can deliver exceptional value.
Behind this wine stands Bonterra Organic Vineyards, a pioneering force in ethical winemaking based in Mendocino. As a certified B Corporation, they've committed to rigorous standards of sustainability, including regenerative organic farming practices and an impressive 98% waste reuse rate. The name "Bonfleur" (good flower) references the cover crops that attract beneficial insects and birds, creating a natural ecosystem that protects the vines without chemical interventions. This level of care typically commands premium prices, making this affordable offering particularly noteworthy.
The wine itself delivers exactly what California Cabernet lovers seek—good fruit expression without becoming jammy, subtle oak influence that adds complexity without overwhelming, and a clean, enjoyable drinking experience. While you could certainly spend more on Cabernet, this bottle demonstrates that ethical production and enjoyable wine don't require a significant investment. Whether you're an eco-conscious consumer or simply seeking quality wines on a budget, this Aldi exclusive offers a compelling reason to support wineries doing things the right way. Try it with your next weeknight dinner and discover how sustainable winemaking can transform even the most accessible price points.
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Welcome it's Domain, dave. Cheapwinefindercom again With another value price wine review podcast. We wrote the review up on the CheapWineFindercom website and now is the time where we talk about it. And today we've got a $7.99 wine from Aldi. It's the Bonfleur California Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2023.
Speaker 1:Bonfleur is a good flower, which refers to the organic parts, which is the cover crop that attracts the kind of birds and good pests that kill the bad pests that feed on and kill the vines and the grapes. This is a wine from fetzer and bonterra. It's actually, I think it's more bonterra. Bonterra is an interesting winery. They they are 100% organic, they are regenerative organic, they reuse 98% of all the waste products that they have on the winery and they are also a B Corporation, which is an ethical corporation. They do things the right way. They're 100% organic, 100% sustainable, and I was looking at their website and they have single vineyard biodynamic wines that are in the 50 60 dollar range. Biodynamic is a whole, nother thing. It's it's organic on times 10. It's um, it's organic on on times 10. It's a whole thing we won't get into today. So this is bon floor. Uh, organic california.
Speaker 1:Organic cabernet sauvignon 2023 is one of um. Well, it's got. It is made by, I think, a division of, uh, bonterra organic vineyards. They Vineyards, they own the trademark and they're from Mendocino. Now it says California on the label. Now I don't know where the grapes came from. They don't say. They don't say anything. This is not a wine with production notes or tasting notes or anything.
Speaker 1:But when it's an organic wine, there's only so many places that you can get grapes. I mean, there's a lot of vineyards in California but to be certified organic is expensive. It takes a long time, like when we were talking about those cover crops. The cover crops have to get established. They have to attract all the good insects to get rid of the bad one. In the meantime you're still fighting off the bad bugs on your own and trying to get the wrong birds out of there and all that type of thing. It takes a while. Then when the certification process comes through it, it's expensive. So the organic vineyards which there are some out there, a lot of, actually a good number out there, but but with but when a $7.99 wine, which this is, you got to get grapes at the right price to get it organic. So it's not that easy. Uh, bonterra and Fetzer have been around a long time. They've got contacts. It wasn't probably so hard for them. But there we go.
Speaker 1:I'm gonna take a sip of this wine. So it's an organic wine. There is no such thing as a bad organic vineyard. There's too much effort and trouble to make it organic. To ever do that with grapes. That don't. I don't deserve it.
Speaker 1:This is a solid California Cabernet Sauvignon $7.99. It tastes like a California Cabernet Sauvignon. It's got good flavor. It's a little fruit forward but it's not jammy. It's not a sugar bomb or anything. Got good flavor it's got.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it drinks. It sips really well. There's no odd things to it. It tastes like a California Cabernet Sauvignon does, and for $7.99, because it's not always that easy. A California Cabernet Sauvignon needs some oak in there, some oak flavoring of some sort, and how you do it for $7.99, I don't know, but it's in there, you know it's not overly oak, but that's probably a better thing for most people. I think being a bit gentle on the oak is probably the going way of people liking their wines nowadays. Let me take another sip. Nowadays I'm taking their sip.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is a really good everyday wine. I mean, you can spend more. You can spend $15 or so and there's good. There's other good Cabernet Sauvignon out there. The last several I've had have been really rocking it. Yeah, you're getting organic wine made.
Speaker 1:Bonterra doesn't say they made this. It says it's Bonflor from Mendocino made it. But it's a division of that. I mean part of them made it. I don't know who the winemaker is, any of that. But Bonterra is a winery that we should support. They're ethical, they're doing the right things in the vineyard, they make good wines at good prices, and even their single vineyard dynamic wines are at prices that were 30, 40 bucks less expensive than they thought they would be. And they're in Mendocino, and Mendocino's a great place for wine. You should know more about Mendocino, but I'm going to take a sip of water here. You should know more about Mendocino, but marijuana got there and kind of slowed down the wine industry. It was, ah, what can you do? So this is the Bonfleur California Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 from Aldi $7.99. It's a solid bottle of wine. I liked it. So there you go. Keep it cheap. Adios, and I'll be talking to everybody in a couple days. Bye-bye.