Why this wine matters
More than a famous label.
It gives the 366 a bottle with a story people remember while still being useful stylistically: a Grenache-led California red that is lighter and more aromatic than many Cabernet-driven blends.
Bonny Doon Vineyard · Central Coast, California
Le Cigare Volant
Rhône-style blend · Grenache-led · juicy · floral · savoury · playful
Le Cigare Volant is one of California’s most characterful Rhône-inspired reds, complete with a flying-saucer name and a serious forty-year winemaking history underneath the joke.
Country
USA
Region
Central Coast, California
Appellation
California red blend
Grapes
Grenache · Syrah · Cinsault · Petite Sirah
Style
Red
Realistic spend
£20–£30
Budget band: £20–£35
Best moments
birthdaybarbecuedinner partycasualgift
A memorable birthday and barbecue bottle whose name and label make it especially giftable.
How it is made
The decisions behind the style.
The 2023 blend is led by Grenache with Syrah, Cinsault and Petite Sirah. The fruit was destemmed and fermented in stainless steel, with untoasted French oak used for texture, then the wine spent about eight months on light lees before final blending.
What does it taste like?
The shape of the wine.
The style is juicy and aromatic rather than heavily oaked, combining ripe berry fruit with floral lift, savoury spice and enough structure to work at the table.
Body3/5
Acidity4/5
Tannin3/5
Sweetness0/5
Oak influence1/5
Freshness4/5
Aroma4/5
Serve it well
Serve lightly cool, around 14–15°C. It is especially good when the food has herbs, smoke or grilled edges.
If this wine were human…
The quirky optimist
If Le Cigare Volant were human, it would be has an unusual idea, an excellent playlist and enough charm to make both seem sensible.
nimblesharp-mindeddiplomaticunfussy
Does any of this sound suspiciously familiar?
Has an unusual idea, an excellent playlist and enough charm to make both seem sensible. You like a little ceremony, but have no interest in ceremony for its own sake.
At dinner, you would rather have four good conversations than forty introductions. Secretly, you are much more sentimental than your taste in labels would suggest.
In short: has an unusual idea, an excellent playlist and enough charm to make both seem sensible. rhône-style blend energy, translated into a person.
Purely for fun — this is the wine’s fictional personality, not a psychological reading of yours.
What to eat with it
And the cheese?
No dead ends.
Start with this wine and move straight into cheese, or build a whole tasting around it.
Keep exploring
There are 365 more wines where this came from.
Research sources
This profile is researched against producer or similarly authoritative material. Vintage-specific details are kept separate from the permanent wine identity.