Bonterra, California (United States) Merlot 2019

 This is a great value Merlot made from organically grown grapes that boasts concentrated blackberry, blueberry flavors spiked with a bit of dried herbs brightened with lively acidity and supported with ripe lightly chewy tannins.  It’s perfect for roast chicken or beef stew.  Bonterra was created by Fetzer in 1990.  They have been growing grapes organically since 1987 and  though they have been sold twice since 1992, the original mission remains.  Today the wine company is in the hands of Concha y Toro of Chile, a family-owned wine company since 1883.  They are a Certified B Corporation, which indicates how a company’s operations and business model impact its workers, community, environment, and customers.  It’s not just about investors and the bottom line.  In 2021, Bonterra became the world’s first organically farmed, Climate Neutral certified wine.  This certification comes from the non-profit organization, Climate Neutral.  It certifies that a company has measured all greenhouse gas emissions from producing and delivering products and services, offset all its emissions by investing in carbon reduction and removal projects like clean energy and reforestation and is implementing plans to reduce future emissions.