71% Grenache, 16% Roussanne, 11% Grenache Blanc and 2% Mourvèdre. SRP of $15, but should be widely available for around $13. Sample received courtesy Bonny Doon Vineyard for review purposes.
From the bottle:
"Vin Gris de Cigare is the pink analogue of Le Cigare Volant, our flagship named in honor of the cigar-shaped alien craft banned from landing in the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape by decree of the village council in 1954. Utilizing prominent Southern French cépages, vin gris is a wine made from the lightest pressings of a noir.My first white/rosé bulk buy! As I understand it, this is technically not a true rosé (which are from red grapes) as this is 71% Grenache but also 29% of a Rhone white blend mixed in, a style that's called a Vin Gris. All I know is that whatever style it is, it's fantastic.
We farm using sustainable practices, with the belief that this discipline is well suited to restoring vital life-forces to our soil and promoting the farm as something akin to a self-sustaining organism. Our winemaking practice is exceptionally light-handed, with minimal intervention and manipulation - unplugged or "acoustic". Equally we are committed to greater transparency. To this end, we append a list of ingredients used in the production of this wine. To learn more, we encourage terrestrial visitations of our Cellar Door in Santa Cruz and communications with the Mothership telephonically at 888.819.6789 and aetherially at bonnydoonvineyard.com.
Ingredients: 71% grenache, 16% roussanne, 11% grenache blanc and 2% mourvèdre grapes, and sulfur dioxide. In the winemaking process, the following were utilized: Indigenous yeast, yeast nutrients and bentonite. At the time of bottling, this product contained 60 ppm total SO2 and 20 ppm free SO2.
12.8% Alcohol"
The 2010 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare has pleasing aromas of strawberry, flowers, and watermelon. The predominant flavors are apple, some citrus, and watermelon but it is not overly sweet and balanced with great minerality and acidity. It ends with a dry excellent finish. This is an extremely drinkable wine with perfect balance. So crisp and fresh that you could almost guzzle this one on a hot day! I could say more but words don't do this wine justice. Do yourself a favor and go buy a bunch today!
Taste Rating: 9 Cost Rating: 6
Overall Rating: 8.3
All ratings use a simple 10 point scale with 10 being the best. Find out more about my rating system here and check out the Interactive Wine Ranking to find all my reviews! You can sort by type of wine, cost, rating, etc. in the interactive spreadsheet.
Want an objective view? We wrote: "the most exciting rosé wine I have ever tasted; pale in colour, crisp and light on the palate, yet with complex fruity and floral notes. It’s refreshing and bright, yet with those gorgeous sweet flavours of summer fruits; a wine to drink on its own, rather than with food. Add in the fact that it’s a talking point, and what better possible kick-off could you have for a convivial summer lunch?" You can read the rest on http://sedimentblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/rose-wines-bonny-doon-vin-gris-de.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment PK, it is amazingly good isn't it? Have you tried the 2008 Bonny Doon "Le Pousseur" Syrah? Another BDV wine I've tried recently that I loved.
ReplyDeleteBDV makes some truly fantastic wine! Have you tried their Ca' Del Solo Muscat? It's still one of all time favorite whites.
ReplyDeleteI have not, but I've loved just about everything I've tried from Bonny Doon so I would imagine I'd like that one too! Thanks for reading!
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