WTN: Have a Cigare

2017 Arroyo Seco Beeswax Vineyard "Le Cigare Blanc", Bonny Doon

55% grenache blanc, 45% roussanne blend in the style of white Chateauneuf-du-Pape. I found it in the discount section of the local NH State Liquor Store. This wine nails both the aroma and flavor profile of white CdP. It definitely has Randall Grahm's fingerprints on it--aromatic, lively, graceful, and true to its varietal makeup. It's too bad this is one of the last vintages for this wine. Double Larry.

One of the things I'll miss most about the old Bonny Doon is Grahm's quirky labels. This is the white version of Le Cigare Volant, Grahm's red CdP knockoff, so named because of the ordinance passed by the town of Chateauneuf-du-Pape during the 1950s flying saucer craze, prohibiting the landing of flying cigars (as they are known in French) in the town or its vineyards.

-Paul W.

I typed this review from memory and got the grape blend wrong. I've had another look at the bottle and corrected that, as well as adding the AVA and vineyard information.

-Paul W.

Interesting that they are still at it.

I first came across them in the late 1980s when our local stores listed the Cigare Volant. I failed to 'get it' when I tried the wine. It wasn't as good as the then available Chateauneufs in our market and it was also more money than most of them. If they were not either better or cheaper, it all seemed pointless except as an academic exercise in winemaking.

I did appreciate the labels though - a stand out in that period.

I did appreciate the labels though - a stand out in that period.

I've had some interesting Bonny Doon wines, but more meh ones, but respect Randall Grahm's place in CA history
But the labels, especially the Ralph Steadman ones, are great. I have a Cardinal Zin Tshirt (getting pretty worn) even though never loved the wine.

[David M. Bueker]

For a period of time there was a Cigare Reserve. I had a couple vintages that were really good, but sadly priced beyond what I was willing to pay for the privilege.

Interesting that they are still at it.

Were still at it. Randall Grahm sold Bonny Doon to some corporate conglomerate. The new regime has cut back the number of wines produced. The whole Cigare Volant line has been discontinued. This wine is among the last for Le Cigare Blanc.

Grahm liked to tinker with grape varieties and traditional European wine styles. At one point he produced a line of Italian-style wines under the brand name Ca' del Solo. The labels were in the distinctive woodcut style used at the time by Vietti. The Ca' del Solo labels were such accurate imitations of the Vietti label style that I walked by them a couple of times in a wine shop before I realized they weren't Vietti wines.

Grahm unfortunately wasn't a very good businessman. A few of the lines of wines that he created--Ca' del Solo, Big House, Pacific Rim--were not commercial successes until after he sold them off.

-Paul W.