Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Volant - Sophisticated and Scrumptious

Tasting the 30th Anniversary edition of an iconic and soon to be re-styled wine, the Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Volant.

55% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 16% Mourvèdre and 4% Cinsault from the Rancho Solo (38%), Bien Nacido (21%), Ventana (18%), Del Barba (17%), Bechtold (4%) and Alta Loma (2%) vineyards in the Central Coast of California.

Sample submitted for review. The Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Volant has an SRP of $45 and is available for as low as $30 (Saturday Splurge). Ready to buy? Check your local retailers. 2,400 cases produced.

From the bottle:

In 1954 the village council of Chateauneuf-du-Pape was quite perturbed and apprehensive that flying saucers or “flying cigars” might do damage to their vineyards were they to land therein. So, right-thinking men all, they adopted an ordinance prohibiting the landing of flying saucers or flying cigars in their vineyards. The ordinance states that any volitional object that did alight was to be removed directly to the pound.
No woofer this wine, we feel rather that it is quite a stellar accomplishment. The composition of our Flying Cigar is based on the traditional encepagement of Chateauneuf-du-Pape: 55% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 16% Mourvèdre and 4% Cinsault. Resistance is futile.
Ingredients: Grapes, tartaric acid and sulfur dioxide. In the winemaking process, the following were utilized: Indigenous yeast, yeast nutrients, French oak chips, and copper sulfate.
14.5% Alcohol

Le Cigare Volant just might get my vote for one of the best wine names ever 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.

This is a wine that we’ve enjoyed many times over the years. Yes, it’s well over $20 but we’re happy to splurge once in a while if the quality justifies the cost and that’s exactly what we have here. In addition, the winemaker for this wine and the original Rhone Ranger, Randall Grahm, recently penned an incredibly honest and enlightening blog post about how he will be changing the style of this wine in the future. I encourage you to read it.

Now on to the wine! The 2013 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Volant is simply delicious. The wine begins with aromas of fruity dark berries, spice, root beer, smoked meat 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 and those smoked meat notes carry over when tasting as well. The dry medium length finish shows good acidity. This is most certainly a Reverse Wine Snob certified Saturday Splurge!

Ready to buy the Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Volant? Check your local retailers.