Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Volant 2007 - A Sophisticated and Scrumptious Saturday Splurge

60% Grenache, 32% Syrah, 4% Mourvèdre and 4% Cinsault from the Central Coast of California.

SRP of $35 and available for as low as $27. Sample received courtesy Bonny Doon Vineyards for review purposes.

From the bottle:

"Le Cigare Volant is our rendition of a complex, blended Southern French red, named in honor of the cigar-shaped alien crafts banned from landing in the vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape by decree of the village council in 1954. The composition of our Flying Cigar is based on the traditional encépagement of its Gallic analogue; the stellar 2007 vintage is composed of 60% Grenache, 32% Syrah, 4% Mourvèdre and 4% Cinsault. Resistance is futile.

For the optimal tasting experience, we suggest a gentle decanting, allowing the wine to breathe prior to consumption. We aspire to produce wines in a more unaffected, hands-off style, with minimum winemaking intervention or manipulation. Equally we are committed to greater transparency. To this end, we append a list of ingredients used in the production of this wine.

Ingredients: Grapes, tartaric acid and sulfur dioxide.

In the winemaking process, the following were utilized: Indigenous yeast, yeast nutrients, untoasted oak chips and French oak cooperage.

At the time of bottling, this product contained: 50ppm total SO₂ and 25ppm free SO₂.

14.4% Alcohol"

This wine might just might get my vote for the best name because of the wacky and true story behind it, detailed in the quote above from the label. Of course, that's not the only reason for today's Saturday Splurge. We've reviewed several Bonny Doon wines to date and have absolutely loved them all. Those wines include:

• Le Pousseur Syrah: An Aroma So Big It Generates Its Own Gravitational Pull
• Clos de Gilroy Grenache: Make Your Mouth Happy
• Vin Gris de Cigare Rosé: Fantastic! The rosé equivalent of today's wine.

Much like these other three wines, the 2007 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Volant is simply delicious. The wine begins with aromas of fruity dark berries, spice, root beer and a little vanilla. Tasting the wine shows lots of rich tannins and zesty spice that complement the bright and tart berry flavors wonderfully. There are also some black pepper and dried herb notes adding complexity. The dry medium length finish shows good acidity. About the only critical thing I can say about this wine is that the finish was a bit shorter than I was expecting although it's not short by any means. Another certified Saturday Splurge!

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

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Saturday Splurge

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