“The Thinking Person’s White”

Le Cigare Blanc is the white wine of Bonny Doon’s Le Cigare Volant series, which pays homage to the complex wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The great white Cigare is not unlike the great white whale; rarely seen, difficult to catch, yet its name is legendary.

Textural, aromatic and quietly eccentric in the best possible way, Le Cigare Blanc opens with notes of pear skin, white peach and citrus zest, layered with fennel, wild herbs and a gentle floral lift. The palate is broad yet precise, combining orchard fruit with savoury complexity, subtle spice and a faint almond bitterness that adds grip and interest. There’s real weight and presence here without heaviness, carried by fresh acidity and finishing long, dry and intriguingly saline.

For when: you want a white that starts conversations rather than ending them.
Pairs with: roast chicken, grilled vegetables, Mediterranean dishes, or anything with herbs and olive oil.
If this wine were… a well-thumbed paperback full of margin notes, curious, clever, and deeply engaging.

Bonny Doon Vineyard was founded by Randall Grahm, one of California’s original iconoclasts and a leading figure in championing Rhône varieties in the New World. Inspired by Southern France and guided by a belief in balance, site expression and intellectual curiosity, Grahm helped redefine what Californian wine could be. Le Cigare Blanc is a Rhône-style white blend, built around varieties such as Grenache Blanc and Roussanne, crafted with restraint and a clear nod to Old World sensibility. It remains one of Bonny Doon’s most distinctive wines, characterful, expressive and unapologetically individual.