2004 Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant

(38% grenache, 35% syrah, 12% mourvedre, 8% carignane and 7% cinsaut) Deep red. Smoky aromas of raspberry, cherry, herbs and flowers are complemented by minerality. Midweight red berry and sweet cherry flavors are given spine by gentle acidity and silky tannins. The red fruit takes a darker turn on the finish, which leaves black raspberry and succulent herbs behind. Reminds me of an easygoing Gigondas; this is ready to drink.

The 2004 Le Cigare Volant exhibits elegant notes of sweet kirsch, loamy soil, pepper, and herbs. It is a pleasant, fruity, medium-bodied, bistro-styled red to drink over the next 2-4 years. However, it can't compete with the Bonny Doon's wines from the early to mid-1980s. Bonny Doon's charismatic proprietor, Randall Grahm, has sold some of his larger production assets in order to refocus on the quality of his wines (which were so promising in the mid-1980s, before he turned his winery into an industrial-sized fruit plant). It is too early to tell whether this will result in higher quality wines. The current releases were made while Grahm was turning out mega-quantities of other wines. Tel. (831) 425-4518