Tasting Notes For Bonny Doon Event, 9/14/12

Barbara Smith from Bonny Doon was kind enough to join
us for our tasting of 7 of Randall Graham’s wines on 9/14/12.
Here are the tasting notes:

BONNY DOON ALBARINO 2011
Before beginning this tasting, please verify that your prescriptions are up to date and that you are comfortable journeying to worlds beyond your previous realm of experience. Ready? Good. Albarino, while native to Spain, has found a happy home in California’s Central Coast. This one “feels fresh and briny like the sea, with aromas of lemongrass, citrus, fresh herbs, and nectarine. On the palate there is a medley of bright acidity with grapefruit, lemon rind, and dry minerality, with a silky texture that remains very crisp and persistent.” $13.97.

BONNY DOON VIN GRIS DE CIGARE 2011
Randall Graham started Bonny Doon in 1983, and was one of the original “Rhone Rangers” who embraced Rhone varietals in California. This lovely Rose bestows aromas of “strawberry, white cherry, ripe peach, and the barest whiff of spearmint, which give way on the palate to zesty notes of strawberry, watermelon, blood orange, peach, and citrus,” displaying gravitas without ponderousness, which of course would be a mortally dangerous element in a such a perfect aperitif wine. $12.97.

BONNY DOON CLOS DE GILROY 2010
Rising to fame as the originator of Cardinal Zin and the Big House wines, along with many goofy, untraditional labels, Randall is a quirky but serious winemaker who loves wines that pair with food. Like this blend of Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah. “Intensely aromatic, with notes of strawberry, raspberry, pepper, and wild herbs, it marries the strawberry-rhubarbity of grenache with a delicate note of kirsch from cinsault and the spicy catch of syrah’s white pepper.” $13.97.

BONNY DOON CONTRA 2009
Contra is named partly for Contra Costa county, where the vineyards lie, and partly for its contrarian nature: it in fact is a “somewhat contradictory flashblack/forward to the straightforward, frank wines of yester- and future-year. A field blend that contravenes contraindicated convention,” with raspberry and blackberry aromas morphing into flavors carrying hints of cinnamon and allspice. $11.97.

BONNY DOON SYRAH “LE POUSSEUR” 2009
Randall calls Syrah “perfumed elegance, whose haunting fragrance will gradually displace all thoughts and memories, including that of one’s own name.” Let’s find out. “Le Pousseur” is an alchemist and trickster, but this wine is incredibly accessible and food-friendly, with its supple tannins that yield to bright, brambly berries, black cherry, red currant, plum, and licorice. It is silky and nuanced, with a juicy core that balances the fruit and earth. $15.97.

BONNY DOON LE CIGARE VOLANT 2007
“Le Cigare Volant” is French for flying saucer and is a reference to the 1954 law prohibiting UFO’s from landing in the vineyards of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. So far as we know all UFO’s have obeyed this law so far. This “Red wine of the earth” is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Cinsault that “offers cherry aromas with a bit of spice, menthol, sassafras, and black pepper. On the palate there is fresh cherry, pomegranate, and red bramble fruit. The wine is peppery and lively with good acidity around an earthy, savory core.” $27.97.

BONNY DOON VINFERNO 2008
Randall’s desire to craft a decadent, single-vineyard dessert wine led to this “rich, fragrant, honeyed example from Arroyo Seco. Enjoy the apple, pear, and quince flavors aligned with apricots, hazelnuts, and a hint of lavender honeycomb,” with a finish that seems to last forever. $15.97