A fascinating find at Trader Joe’s, we review the Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Orange.
40% Grenache Gris (a mutation of the Grenache Noir grape that has more of a pinkish hue) from the Loma Del Rio Vineyard, 40% Grenache Blanc from the Beeswax and Windfall Vineyard, 10% Grenache from the Sweetwater Vineyard and 10% Orange Muscat from the Carrasco Vineyard, all in the Central Coast of California. It is also vegan friendly.
We’ve been fans of Randall Grahm’s Bonny Doon Vineyard for as long as this site has been around, so we were delighted to spot this one at Trader Joe’s on a recent trip. And we were even more intrigued when we saw it was an “orange” wine (a white wine made with extended skin contact, like a red wine).
One look at the interesting mix of grape varieties here and you know, in true Boony Doon style, this isn’t just a straightforward orange wine either. Let’s check it out.
The wine has an SRP of $18 but it is available widely for $14.99 including at some Trader Joe’s locations.
From the bottle:
Skin-Contact Wine Of The Earth
Orange Cigare? This is neither a wine made from oranges nor something that one might smoke. Rather, it refers to the curious orange color obtained when one ferments white grapes on their skins. “Orange” wines have the haunting fragrance of an elegant white wine – in this instance, the unmistakable scent of peach – and the textural richness and depth of a red wine. As to flying “Cigares” (French slang for UFOs): In 1954 a village in Chateauneuf-du-Pape wisely adopted an ordinance prohibiting the landing of such spacecraft in local vineyards. The ordinance has worked well, as there have been no such landings since the adoption of this far-sighted legislation.
10.5% Alcohol
The 2022 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Orange opens with a fragrant, fresh and bright bouquet of tangerine, citrus and flowers. Intriguing indeed.
The first thing you notice when tasting is that the wine is more substantial in the mouth then you would expect with a wonderful smooth, textured mouthfeel. It features similar flavors to the nose but they are more rich and tart when tasting. It’s quite refreshing yet still has intriguing complexity.
It ends dry, long, and a bit grippy. This is a fascinating bottle as it has white wine like flavors but drinks more like a red wine. I love the lower alcohol % here as well.
2022 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Orange
As always you can find an updated list of our recommended wines from Trader Joe’s as well as more info on their pricing model and some tips and tricks for shopping the store in our giant guide.
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