$65.00 per bottle / $702.00
per case
$55.25 per bottle / $624.00 per
case (Members)
91 points ~ Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine
Cellar
"Bright ruby. Pungent, spice-accented aromas of cherry, dark
berries, anise and dried rose, along with a subtle black pepper
nuance. Fleshy and gently sweet on entry, then firmer in the
mid-palate, offering bitter cherry and blackberry flavors given
spine by zesty acidity. Dusty tannins add grip to the penetrating,
smoky finish, which lingers with very good floral persistence." -
Josh Raynolds
89 points ~ Wine Spectator
"Dense and pleasantly earthy, with fresh tobacco, gravel, dried
berry and spice box scents, finishing with chewy tannins..." -
James Laube
2008 Le Cigare Volant Réserve (en
bonbonne)
This wine is the culmination of a Gedankenexperiment begun many
years ago, essentially a long-standing meditation on the role of
oxidation/reduction in the enhancement of the complexity and
life-span of a given wine. The journey began approximately
thirty-five years ago when Randall visited Dan Wheeler of Nicasio
Cellars in Soquel and tasted wine he had been ageing for decades in
glass carboys in his caves; he was struck by how utterly fresh they
were. A chance meeting introduced Randall to the wines of Emidio
Pepe in Abruzzo, who aged his wines in glass carboy before
rebottling into standard format; again, he was struck by the utter
freshness of wines that were decades of age. Then, through chance,
Randall happened to study at the knee of Patrick Ducourneau,
inventor of
microbullage, (or micro-oxygenation) and enjoyed
deep philosophical discussions (in his rather imperfect French)
about the nature of anti-oxidative systems in grapes, the
biological arc of wine’s life-span, and the secret life of
tannins.
Microbullage addresses the early part of the lifecycle of a
wine. But the work with the carboys (
bonbonnes), deals with
wine in its mature and complex phase. What we do is after the
Cigare Volant
normale has finished malolactic fermentation
and the final blend composed, we then add a modest amount of sulfur
dioxide (maybe 35 ppm.), bottle the wine up in 5-gallon carboy,
seal them up very tightly, and place the bottles on their sides.
The lees that repose at the bottom are agitated with a
Teflon-coated stir bar inside the bottle through the agency of
strong magnets, thus re-suspended.
The wine: The reductive (oxygen exclusionary) atmosphere inside the
carboys provides the template for the evolution of very complex,
earthy aromas—tobacco, smoked meat, truffle. At the same time, the
tremendous amount of lees digestion through the autolysis of the
yeast cells, is adding an incredibly savory note to the wine, as
well as a marvelously sleek texture.
The ’08 Cigare Réserve is a triumph of complexity, a wine to be
savored and studied over a long meal. Said meal could include
roasted duck breast with Chanterelle mushrooms and apricots; on the
nose of this wine, one is hit with the same notes as sautéing
Chanterelle mushrooms, or cutting into an overripe apricot. Braised
meat of any kind (although braised pork ribs immediately come to
mind) would be a delicious match as well, but definitely with a
side of roasted mushrooms to enhance the
umami qualities.
Starting the meal with miso soup seasoned with dashi and seaweed
would be lovely as well. Ultimately, we have found the best
pairings to be those that enhance the glutamate qualities found in
the wine.
Vital Statistics:
Blend: 45% grenache, 30% syrah, 13% mourvèdre, 7% cinsault, 5%
carignane
Appellation: Central Coast
Serving Temp: 58º F
Alcohol by Volume: 14.2%
TA: 6.4 g/L
pH: 3.75
Cellaring: Drinkable upon release (May 2012), 10-15 years
ageability
Production: 436 cases
