2011 Le Cigare Blanc ‘Beeswax Vineyard’, Bonny Doon

Le Cigare Blanc is the white wine of Bonny Doon’s Le Cigare Volant series, which pays homage to the complex Rhones of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The great white Cigare is not unlike the great white whale; rarely seen, difficult to catch, yet its name is legend. It’s a rich, savoury wine with greater power and extraction than one typically finds at Bonny Doon.

In the glass it is pale gold with green-gold highlights, a very strong impression of melon, along with Asian pear, pineapple and grapefruit pith, and in the mouth, very rich, sporting a certain modicum of tannin; this bodes exceptionally well for great longevity. The wine’s unique flavours will pair exceptionally well with hard cheeses, seafood (lobster especially), roasted poultry, and savoury vegetarian strudels or gratins. Paired with sushi served with freshly grated wasabi will also be a profound revelation.