The 2014 Vin Gris de Cigar pale Rose’ from Bonny Doone Vineyard, which was established in 1983, has 13% alcohol, cost $9.00 and scored a fine 16 points on the Dionysian scale of a possible 20.
This is the pink, lighter version of their Le Cigare Volant, the big red Rhone style Californian wine from Bonny Doon made in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape style. You’ve got to love a wine that tells you it has only 60ppm of SO2 on its back label.
The label depicts a flying saucer over the French vineyards. In 1954 the village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape banned flying saucers from landing there and crushing their vineyards. We call the saucers, they call them cigars. None have landed.
The wine is mostly Grenache at 35%, with 18% Mourvedre, 16% Grenache Blanc, 12.5% Roussanne, 8% Carignane, 8% Cinsault, 1.5% Marsanne and 1% Counoise…a classic Rhone blend of reds and whites making a lovely light food wine. In vino veritas.
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