Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare Rosé – Fantastic!

Revisiting an old favorite, the Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare Rosé.

44% Grenache, 20% Grenache Blanc, 12% Carignane, 11% Mourvedre, 7% Cinsaut and 6% Roussanne from the Central Coast of California. The Grenache is comes from the from the Alta Loma Vineyard in Monterey, while the Mourvedre comes from the Del Barba Vineyard in Contra Costa County and the Grenache Blanc and Roussanne comes from the Beeswax Vineyard in Arroyo Seco.

The Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare Rosé has an SRP of $18, but is available for as low as $12. 10,345 cases produced. Sample submitted for review.

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.

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 a more integral entity. 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.

Ingredients: 44% Grenache, 20% Grenache Blanc, 13% Carignane, 10% Mourvedre, 7% Cinsaut, 6% Roussanne grapes, tartaric acid 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 25 ppm free SO2.

13.5% Alcohol

Made with 26% Rhone white varietals in a style called Vin Gris, today’s wine is not technically a true rosé wine which is made exclusively from red grapes. Regardless this bottle has been one of my very favorite pink wines since we reviewed the 2010 vintage five years ago and as I said then (and it still holds up today) — whatever style it is, it’s fantastic.

The 2015 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare Rosé begins with a very pleasing aroma of strawberry and watermelon plus a little cranberry, tangerine, granny smith apple and even a hint of mint. Tasting the wine shows it to be dry, crisp, fresh and delicious. It has similar flavors as the nose but they are a bit more tart in the mouth. It also has great balance, acidity and complexity with a wonderful smooth, round mouthfeel. Stone minerality with a bit of saltiness comes out on the long, dry finish.

This is an extremely drinkable wine that is so crisp and fresh that you could almost guzzle it 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!

See a listing of local retailers selling the Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare Rosé here.