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2012 Le Cigare Volant Réserve “en bonbonne

Wine Specs

Vintage

2012

Varietal

39% Mourvèdre, 33% Grenache, 26% Syrah, 2% Cinsaut

Appellation

Central Coast

5.5 g/L

3.61

Aging

Drinkable upon release (April 2016). Ideally hold for a year or two, 15-20+ years ageability

Serving Temperature

58° F

Label Artist

Chuck House

Alcohol %

13.5

Wine Enthusiast

James Suckling

Vinous

Planet Grape

2012 Le Cigare Volant Réserve “en bonbonne"

Anaerobically cellared, affiné or “perfected” in 20 liter glass demijohns on its lees, this wine represents the peak of elegance in the eclectic Bonny Doon Vineyard range.

#2, 50 Best Wines of 2016, VinePair - "Randall Grahm is a winemaker who continues to impress. His move to close all of his wines with screwcap might be seen by some people as cheapening the wines, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is a serious, age-worthy red wine that showcases why Randall is one of this country’s best winemakers. A Rhone-style red blend, the wine is deep and dark with the Syrah playing the dominant role. Flavors of dark berries marry with leather to create a delicious wine."

92 Points Wine Enthusiast
92 Points Vinous

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$60.00 per bottle / $648.00 per case
$51.00 per bottle / $576.00 per case (Members)

Wine Profile

Tasting Notes

Incredibly exotic, truffled/toasted almond, verging on coconut(!) nose, with the Platonic essence of drupe (or stone) fruit pulsing in the background. On the palate, very soft, plush tannins, great savoriness (of course), clean acidity and an endless finish. This is a wine that is built for the ages; there is seemingly still tons of fruit and a vibrant life-force to carry it for many years to come. The wine can be paired with any number of the usual suspects (game birds, lamb, venison), but maybe at its best with simpler fare (just cheese?), as a kind of (guided) meditation wine.

Ratings

92 Points, Wine Enthusiast, "This beloved annual bottling by Randall Grahm blends 39% Mourvèdre, 33% Grenache, 26% Syrah and 2% Cinsaut to create a very savory, Old World-style expression, with aromas of roasted game, pencil shavings, dried red fruits and blood. The palate is very iron-rich and rustic, with uncrushed black peppercorns and raw and dried meat flavors." - Matt Kettmann (Nov. 2017) | 90 Points, James Suckling, "A linear and fine textured red with berry, strawberry and clove character. Medium body, firm tannins and a fresh finish... A blend of mourvèdre, grenache, syrah and cinsault. Drink now." (Dec. 2017) | 92 Points, Vinous, "Limpid ruby-red. A wild, spice-inflected bouquet evokes dried red berries, cherry compote, smoked game and succulent flowers. Chewy and well-concentrated on the palate, offering subtly sweet raspberry, cherry, floral pastille and smoked meat flavors that pick up a smoky mineral element with aeration. In a decidedly Old World style, showing solid grip and powerful mineral thrust on the long, gently tannic finish. Drinking Window: 2020-2026" - Josh Raynolds (Oct. 2018)

Awards

#2, 50 Best Wines of 2016 - VinePair

Vineyard Notes

Del Barba Vineyard in Contra Costa is dry farmed and our primary source for 100+ year-old vine mourvèdre in the Cigare blend. Alta Loma Vineyard in Monterey is our primary source for organically farmed, “weapons-grade" grenache. This vintage has the inclusion of Rancho Solo Vineyard grenache (our former estate vineyard, formerly Ca' del Solo) in Soledad. Bien Nacido in Santa Maria is our source for Cigare-quality Syrah, farmed using Biodynamic® practices. We source our Cinsaut from the acclaimed Bechthold Vineyard (aka Woock) in Lodi, CA, arguably California's oldest vineyard.

Food Pairing Notes

Pan seared lamb chops with rosemary & garlic, duck liver pâté, grilled quail, venison steak.

Production

840 cases

Other Notes

"The reserve bottling of Bonny Doon Vineyard’s flagship red is raised in twenty-liter glass carboys rather than neutral wood. This treatment is designed to exclude oxygen while increasing lees exposure, and to build savoriness into the wine without oak influences. In the 2012 vintage, the blend is about forty percent Mourvèdre, one-third Grenache, one-quarter Syrah, and a tiny fraction of Cinsault. It’s a saturated black cherry color and feels closed at first, delivering a whiff of earthy funk—not unexpected given the élevage and screw cap bottling. But with an hour or so of air it flowers into anise and anisette, purple petals, and red cherries. Its suggestion of cured meats and smoked red fruits gets sliced by a bright blade of acid. A wine that can deliver refreshment after rich or gamy meats and aged cheeses." - Meg Houston Maker, Maker's Table, December 13, 2016