External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2022 and 2024 (based on 7 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 86.2 pts. and median of 87 pts. in 27 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by dpodratsky3 on 2/16/2024 & rated 86 points: Lighter in color especially towards the edges almost orange tinged, nose of red berries and white pepper, a bolder spiced component as well, milder on the palette, firm enough to have some intensity, but a watery fruitiness, pepper in the back of the tongue and throat. (265 views) | | | Tasted by chatters on 10/31/2023: Phil's impromptu tasting fun (Phil's place, Putney, Sydney): Clean, red berry fruit, a little spice, blackberry, pepper, a little smoky note. Beautifully integrated acid, fruit, spice, softly grainy tannins, long, elegant, fresh, generous, really lovely. (732 views) | | | Tasted by Z1nnfull on 10/23/2023 & rated 90 points: Very good Cali expression of a Rhone blend (440 views) | | | Tasted by Twopawsup on 7/19/2023 & rated 85 points: Dark pink color with medium legs. Cherry and spices on the nose. Peppery palate with raspberry color. Angular finish with a bit of heat. (591 views) | | | Tasted by chrisk525 on 7/6/2023 & rated 84 points: Peppery, medium acidity, light smooth tannins. Easy sipping. Not a love, kind of a like. I wouldn't get it again.
UPDATE: After a few more tastings, I changed from neutral to dislike. I don't enjoy it, it's just too simple and fruity. Not as peppery as when I first opened it, but just not something I'd want to drink. (677 views) | | | Tasted by Z1nnfull on 7/5/2023 & rated 90 points: Surprisingly great California red Rhone blend (498 views) | | | Tasted by erhall05 on 6/15/2023: Was medium body. Easy drinking. Nothing special (380 views) | | | Tasted by Neumann U47 on 6/1/2023: Candy, one dimensional, no balance. In no way could this be confused for even a poorly produced rhone.
Got progressively worse as it opened, more and more candied and disjointed, lacking any kind of saving grace acidity or excitement.
Serving temperatures from too cool to too warm and everything in between, from PnP to hours of decanting, always just bad.
Astringent, bitterly medicinal, yet still cheap, generic candy sweet. Was hoping for more given the relatively restrained abv for its region on the label, disappointment. Mistake. This is garbage. Oh well. (449 views) | | | Tasted by Jzizzle on 5/8/2023 & rated 89 points: Loads of red fruit, impression of sweetness, some herb and brush; the Grenache is screaming loud and yet there is some tannin and other elements in here too. Pleasurable and easy; interesting for its actual location and could be mistaken for actual Rhone. 89+ (but something holding me back from full 90) (389 views) | | | Tasted by BPaff on 2/5/2023 & rated 87 points: Fresh, juicy, ripe red fruits. Some vague savoury notes but really just an easy fruity wine. Much more balance and life than most other California wines in the price category (852 views) | | | Tasted by OttawaB on 1/26/2023 & rated 85 points: Disappointing. An overall candied sweetness to the up front fruit (dry wine at 4g/L residual sugar). Short length of finish. Very fruity, but not thick or dense fruit. Medium bodied. Some slight bitterness on finish. Kind of a meh overall wine meant for the mass market. Not really complex. Tannins are pretty much non-existent. Medium acidity. (757 views) | | | Tasted by atrabado on 1/22/2023 & rated 93 points: Outstanding blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Petite Syrah and Counoise. Randall Grahm produces this Rhône valley blend in the Central Coast of California. Great balance between body and acidity, very fruity and also with a beautiful structure. A very serious wine with a great alcohol volume at 13,6. Wonderful wine. (792 views) | | | Tasted by jmcmchi on 12/16/2022: Most of bottle went into the pot. In the glass, a bit on the thin side (914 views) | | | Tasted by redblendsandredheads on 12/4/2022: Smooth? (549 views) | | | Tasted by melzar on 12/4/2022 & rated 88 points: Tastes like a southern Rhone blend. A little too rustic for me. Well made and a good value, but not my style. (649 views) | | | Tasted by king-bing on 12/4/2022: Hearing bad things about the new regime, I thought I'd give this a go. Lovely raspberry and white pepper nose that carries through to the palate. A bit of tension and a lightness on the palate that really delights and perhaps some Mourvedre-style funk. Not grand at all but good fun and works both with and without food. More like a decent lighter style Cotes du Rhone than a Chateauneuf-a-like. Much better than the 2020 Cigare Blanc. Fair value at £14 on special offer. (1007 views) | | | Tasted by redmancge on 11/22/2022 & rated 87 points: I enjoy Grenache Syrah blends and this didn't disappoint for a Cali offering. Easy smooth drinking red that while not overly complex a nice everday wine goes well with food or without especially for the discount price I got at $13. (467 views) | | | Tasted by acorelli on 11/22/2022 & rated 87 points: What happened to Le Cigare? I was a big fan of these wines - 2007 in particular, but have had several different years - and this is not in the same league. The reduced price should have been a warning, I guess. Maybe Mr. Graham is using his better grapes for something else, now? The goofiness of Le Cigare Volant - the name, the label art, the story - was fun because the wine was good. It’s not fun now that the wine is average. (733 views) | | | Tasted by prv530 on 11/16/2022 & rated 87 points: This is a far cry from the Cigar Volante vintages of the 80s and 90s. Light, almost Beaujelais in character. Surprised there's no Gamay in this wine. It's fruity, berry, not particularly intriguing but I suppose with the right fat content there will be a compatible foid-wine experience. 87/100 (I'm being generous with score due to fond memories of old vintages). (465 views) | | | Tasted by Wisco Mel on 11/11/2022: The wine is nice for this moment: cherry twizzlers without being plastic candy sweet, tobacco, herbs and a touch of chocolate. It's light and smooth, definitely does not have a lingering finish. In this moment, it's pretty good and easy going. (392 views) | | | Tasted by John Haddon on 10/26/2022 & rated 58 points: This is not a wine that I enjoyed. I returned the other 3 bottles and I will try something else. (493 views) | | | Tasted by Jfolks on 8/4/2022: Loved it (714 views) | | | Tasted by cono_sur on 4/12/2022 & rated 90 points: Primarily from Monterey, this blend of 42% Grenache, 31% Cinsault, 24% Syrah, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Counoise has a medium-high to highly aromatic nose that is fresh, ripe, plummy, red fruited with a subtle smokiness. It’s medium-full bodied with smooth, nicely textured tannins. Flavours are dry and nicely balanced with red fruits, currant, red cherry, and subtle wood. Fresh, balanced acids. Long, red fruited, cherry, and smoky finish. (332 views) | | | Tasted by jmcmchi on 2/10/2022 & rated 87 points: Much better on second day, when syrah tarry notes emerge. Better matchedwith rich-ish foods. (1285 views) | | | Tasted by 1NOWNLY on 1/16/2022 flawed bottle: Pretty sure this has smoke taint..Somebody pop this and review so I can be reassured..or my btl is corked..and its a twist off! (939 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Sara d'Amato
WineAlign (1/11/2023)
(Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant, Red Wine Of The Earth, Central Coast red) Subscribe to see review text. | By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (1/9/2023)
(Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant, Red Wine Of The Earth, Central Coast red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Michael Godel
WineAlign (1/8/2023)
(Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant, Red Wine Of The Earth, Central Coast red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (1/6/2023)
(Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant, Red Wine Of The Earth, Central Coast red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of WineAlign. (manage subscription channels) |
| Bonny Doon Vineyard Producer website
Bonny Doon was sold in early 2020 to "WarRoom", a wine production and marketing entity formed in 2018. Per a January 2020 Decanter article - https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/californias-bonny-doon-sold-430550/ - "Graham will retain creative control of Bonny Doon’s wines, but production will change from 35,000 cases of 15 different wines annually to just four wines: the flagship red Rhône blend Le Cigare Volant; Le Cigare Blanc (based on Vermentino); Vin Gris de Cigare (a Rhône varietal rosé); and a 100% Picpoul."Red Rhone Blend Read about the different grapes used to produce red and white Rhone wines
On CellarTracker, Red Rhone Blend is the term for a wine consisting of two or more of the traditional 13 Southern Rhone grape varieties. Typically it's the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre or Cinsault grapes, but can also contain the Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan or Vaccarese grapes.
A 'food' wine. Lacking pretension and intended for local consumption with local cuisine. Lacks the 'high' notes on a Bordeaux, more earthy and sharper so often a better partner to meat dishes with a sauce. USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA Wikipedia |
|
