Bonflor Cabernet: Aldi's $7.99 Ethical Wine Discovery

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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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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome it's Domain, dave.
Cheapwinefindercom again Withanother value price wine review
podcast.
We wrote the review up on theCheapWineFindercom website and
now is the time where we talkabout it.
And today we've got a $7.99wine from Aldi.
It's the Bonfleur CaliforniaOrganic Cabernet Sauvignon 2023.

(00:29):
Bonfleur is a good flower, whichrefers to the organic parts,
which is the cover crop thatattracts the kind of birds and
good pests that kill the badpests that feed on and kill the
vines and the grapes.
This is a wine from fetzer andbonterra.

(00:54):
It's actually, I think it'smore bonterra.
Bonterra is an interestingwinery.
They they are 100% organic,they are regenerative organic,
they reuse 98% of all the wasteproducts that they have on the

(01:16):
winery and they are also a BCorporation, 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 havesingle vineyard biodynamic wines
that are in the 50 60 dollarrange.

(01:36):
Biodynamic is a whole, notherthing.
It's it's organic on times 10.
It's um, it's organic on ontimes 10.
It's a whole thing we won't getinto today.
So this is bon floor.
Uh, organic california.
Organic cabernet sauvignon 2023is one of um.
Well, it's got.
It is made by, I think, adivision of, uh, bonterra

(02:01):
organic vineyards.
They Vineyards, they own thetrademark and they're from
Mendocino.
Now it says California on thelabel.
Now I don't know where thegrapes came from.
They don't say.
They don't say anything.
This is not a wine withproduction notes or tasting
notes or anything.
But when it's an organic wine,there's only so many places that

(02:22):
you can get grapes.
I mean, there's a lot ofvineyards in California but to
be certified organic isexpensive.
It takes a long time, like whenwe were talking about those
cover crops.
The cover crops have to getestablished.
They have to attract all thegood insects to get rid of the

(02:43):
bad one.
In the meantime you're stillfighting off the bad bugs on
your own and trying to get thewrong birds out of there and all
that type of thing.
It takes a while.
Then when the certificationprocess comes through it, it's
expensive.
So the organic vineyards whichthere are some out there, a lot
of, actually a good number outthere, but but with but when a

(03:05):
$7.99 wine, which this is, yougot to get grapes at the right
price to get it organic.
So it's not that easy.
Uh, bonterra and Fetzer havebeen around a long time.
They've got contacts.
It wasn't probably so hard forthem.
But there we go.
I'm gonna take a sip of thiswine.
So it's an organic wine.
There is no such thing as a badorganic vineyard.

(03:26):
There's too much effort andtrouble to make it organic.
To ever do that with grapes.
That don't.
I don't deserve it.

(03:50):
This is a solid CaliforniaCabernet Sauvignon $7.99.
It tastes like a CaliforniaCabernet Sauvignon.
It's got good flavor.
It's a little fruit forward butit's not jammy.
It's not a sugar bomb oranything.
Got good flavor it's got.
Yeah, it drinks.
It sips really well.
There's no odd things to it.

(04:11):
It tastes like a CaliforniaCabernet Sauvignon does, and for
$7.99, because it's not alwaysthat easy.
A California Cabernet Sauvignonneeds some oak in there, some
oak flavoring of some sort, andhow you do it for $7.99, I don't
know, but it's in there, youknow it's not overly oak, but
that's probably a better thingfor most people.

(04:31):
I think being a bit gentle onthe oak is probably the going
way of people liking their winesnowadays.
Let me take another sip.
Nowadays I'm taking their sip.
Yeah, this is a really goodeveryday wine.

(04:52):
I mean, you can spend more.
You can spend $15 or so andthere's good.
There's other good CabernetSauvignon out there.
The last several I've had havebeen really rocking it.
Yeah, you're getting organicwine made.
Bonterra doesn't say they madethis.

(05:13):
It says it's Bonflor fromMendocino made it.
But it's a division of that.
I mean part of them made it.
I don't know who the winemakeris, any of that.
But Bonterra is a winery thatwe should support.
They're ethical, they're doingthe right things in the vineyard
, they make good wines at goodprices, and even their single

(05:36):
vineyard dynamic wines are atprices that were 30, 40 bucks
less expensive than they thoughtthey would be.
And they're in Mendocino, andMendocino's a great place for
wine.
You should know more aboutMendocino, but I'm going to take
a sip of water here.
You should know more aboutMendocino, but marijuana got

(06:05):
there and kind of slowed downthe wine industry.
It was, ah, what can you do?
So this is the BonfleurCalifornia 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 toeverybody in a couple days.
Bye-bye.