Entries tagged with ‘bonnydoon’:
2004 DEWN Cigare Alternative C
Wow.
I reckon I should start by admitting that I wasn’t too hot on Bonny Doon. I think I had tried a couple of their lower-end Ca’del Solo house wines (which I wasn’t a fan of), and their Cardinal Zin (which also didn’t work for me at all), and I had got the impression from one of my more knowledgeable wine friends, that Bonny Doon was a lot more marketing than wine.
And, while we’re being honest, I’ll freely admit it: I’m a complete snob about the screw-cap thing. Sure, corks can spoil a wine—but I just love the ritual of uncorking a bottle… And no matter how you do it, cracking that screw-top is not the same.
Anyway, on our way down to the Hearst Castle the other weekend, I saw a sign for Bonny Doon along Highway 1, and figured: “It’s our vacation, It’s almost noon… let’s do some wine tasting!”. So we stopped in and gave it a go.
The flight that we had was a nice mix of reds and whites. There were some stinkers (I wasn’t a big fan of their 2006 Albariño or their flagship red Le Cigare Volant), but there were also a couple of real winners, in particular the 2004 DEWN Cigare Alternative C.
This wine just completely rocked the flight—it is fantastic. Lush flavors of plum and cherry, some nice tannins, and a good long finish of pepper, tobacco, and Asian spice. Wrap it all in a really nicely done label, and I’m sold. This is a great wine.
In fact, it was good enough for me to actually decide to become a member of their wine club (more on that later), especially since they were having a “join the club, and get a bottle of the Alt. C for $5” deal.
Bonny Doon 2006 Vin Gris de Cigare
Wait… Pink wine? Barclay? For real?
Yup.
And you know what… it was damned tasty, too. Real fruity and sweet on the nose, but the sweetness stays off the palate. It's very dry, with just a bit of acidity, and the smallest expression of strawberry. At $10, this is a great summer patio wine. Different, interesting and fun.