Bonal Gentiane-Quina Aperitif

Product of: France

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Made close to the French alps by Maison Dolin, this is a fortified aperitif wine (mistelle) infused with yellow gentian, cinchona (quinine), orange and other botanicals to a recipe created in 1865 by Brother Raphael Bonal, a former Chartreux monk.

It can be used in place of a sweet vermouth and is traditionally served as a palate 'opener'.

Review and Tasting

Sampled on 14/06/2020

Appearance:

Clear, burnt ochre and saddle-brown core with green olive oil rim.

Aroma:

Prunes, raisins, charcoal and hay with toffee apple, cacao, sticky pine sap and sherry-like aromas.

Taste:

Bittersweet with green grapes, prune, figs, plump sultana, liquorice and citrus with gentian and quinine bitterness.

Aftertaste:

Bittersweet, dried almost burnt fruit. Fades with herbal notes and lingering rooty bitterness.

Overall:

This fabulous bittersweet, wine-based aperitif has notes of green grapes, prune, figs, plump sultana, liquorice and citrus with gentian and quinine bitterness.