1932 Padilla Salomon Cigar and Copeland Creek Meritage 2002

The Padilla 1932
Wrapper: Oscuro
Size: 7.2x59
My Strength Rating: 7.5/8
See posting: February 13, 2010
A very good fuller bodied cigar. This cigar has some fuller spice and roasty notes that will fill your palate. There is a good black pepper like quality to the taste. I also, notice a chocolate and coffee style behind the spicy profile. This should be a good pairing with this wine. I like the bold spice of the cigar being matched with the delicate softer spice of this wine. The chocolate and coffee should mix well with the big cherry notes of the wine. I am ready to sit down and pair these two up.

The Wine
See the posting from yesterday for wine notes.

The Pairing
The wine is just as tasty as it was last night. But, what a big disappointment, this cigar tastes like what the 1666 should have tasted like – boring. Are my cigar taste buds off or what? This cigar taste like a dry and uneventful turd. I have had several of these this year and they were all good. My cigar world is not making sense right now. The cigar bundle of 1666’s seemed like a bad lot and last night one of them smoked liked how they are suppose to taste – very good. I was planning to do this review – the 1932 cigar with this wine and this cigar pulls up lame.

1666 Graycliff Pirate & Copeland Creek Meritage 2002: Tasting

About the name ‘Meritage’

Meritage is pronounced like heritage. Meritage is a licensed name which started back in the late 1980’s. A Meritage wine can be made with these Bordeaux type grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot and according to meritagewine.org/red-meritage, St. Macaire, Gros Verdot and Carmenère. I did not know about these last three grapes.

If there is any other type of grape in the blend then it is only a ‘blend’ , it would not qualify as a Meritage Wine. Also, one grape cannot be more than 90% of the wine.


This Meritage has three of the classic Bordeaux grapes: 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Cabernet Franc, 15% Merlot. And, for me I like it when there is more Cab Franc and less Merlot. It has a 13.9% abv. It is from the Sonoma Coast and bottled by: Copeland Creek Vineyards.

This Meritage puts the big berry flavors on the sidelines and has a strong starting lineup of cherry flavors. It is like they squeezed some black cherries and red cherries to make this wonderful taste profile. The Franc grapes and Merlot grapes seem to be in control with a nice supple texture and earthy structure to keep things together. There is a soft and delicate herbal like spice in the background.

If you can find a bottle of this 2002 buy it – it is still very good and the big cherry notes are a singing.

I had no intension of writing a cigar review tonight with this wine. Ok, it still won’t be a review. Anyways, I just wanted to light up a stick and not think and finish the night off just right. Well, I selected a cigar that I have enjoyed in the past but, this last bundle of 1666 Graycliff Pirates were not very good. The color of the maduro wrappers on these cigars, in this bundle, were all brownish/black and they should be jet black. Every cigar I have smoked out of this bundle has been dry in texture and boring in taste. So, this was a good choice because if I decided to end the night and only smoke half the cigar – who cares – and it is one more cigar gone from this bad bundle.

Well, this is why I am writing this – wow, this cigar is very good with this wine. It is like the wine brought this cigar to life. With every puff of the cigar I kept thinking to myself – this is how this cigar used to taste. My plan now is to smoke the remaining 1666 Pirates with some red wine! Hope it works.

I was planning to pair this wine with my 1932 Padilla Salomon cigar tomorrow. Oh, this should be great tomorrow.

A Wine and Cigar Review: CAO Amazon Cigar and Midnight Cabernet Sauvignon

The Wine - Midnight Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 Nebula

This wine has a very dense dark body with a nice ruby color on the edges. It has a 14.2% abv. I selected this wine because it is from Paso Robles. Justin Winery and Liberty School are both from that region and I really like both of those Cabs.
The nose of this wine has a solid dark berry and spice profile. Right after opening the tannins are speaking. After a little time to breath the balance kicks in and the flavors come alive. The dark berries and cherry notes are yummy and mingle well with the spices and some oaky and vanilla oaky notes. This is a fuller bodied Cab. I am going to rate it a 7.5 on my strength scale. I could see an 8 but, the wine has such a nice finish of berry and plum that does not have that bitter bite of a strong blackberry. The earthy structure just coats the palate for a solid Cabernet Sauvignon taste.

This is a must buy. I would love to compare this to Justin Cabernet some day. This bottle cost me $18.00 at Everyday Wines in Ann Arbor.

I would recommend a big juicy steak on the grill with this wine.

The Cigar - CAO Amazon
Wrapper: Brazil
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Size: 6 x 60
My Strength Rating: 6.5/7
I really like this cigar with a fuller-bodied red wine. The Amazon has nice undertones of chocolate and coffee with some delicate spice. The earthy notes seem to be at the core of this cigar and that should match well with this wine. I also like the toasted cashew nut like notes. The smoke has a meaty quality as it fills your palate.


The Pairing
This is a great pairing. The dark fruits of the wine match up with the dark chocolate undertones from the cigar. The spice level is perfect and does not become overwhelming. That earthy profile, that both exhibit, completes this yummy pairing. Sometimes when you are dealing with both products at this strength rating and a good earthy quality in each, you can get this jammy feel on the palate that is just a little overpowering but, this is just right.

I highly recommend a quality cigar with this Cabernet.

Camacho Triple Madura 60/6 and Kpachbin Boctok Red East Extra: Review

The Cigar

I love full-flavored cigars and I have great expectations here. I matched up the Camacho Triple Maduro 6/60 for my after dinner treat. This 6 inch and 60 ring gage giant is a wonderful cigar. People are intimidated by this cigar. They think the fullness is going to kick their butt. BUT, that is why you should smoke the 60 ring gage and not the smaller ring gages. The larger ring gage will give you a cooler smoke and the flavor is amplified. The smaller ring gages in this line I would rate higher in strength and it is all due to the diameter of the cigar because they are made with the same tobaccos.

I give this cigar, one of my favorites, an 8 on my strength scale. This cigar delivers a nice balance of rich spicy notes with a sweet peppery taste that lingers for a great full-flavored taste.

The Beer
The beer pours a nice looking white head with a golden color body. There is no lacing left on the glass from the head or while drinking this beer. The aroma is a very pleasant sweet caramel and yeast. The taste is straight up caramel sweetness. After the first two sips I think this is pretty refreshing. As I continue with this beer, I think of sugar dipped summertime fruits and caramel. This is a pretty light bodied beer. I am thinking about a 3.5 or 4 strength rating.

The Pairing
I wanted to do a solid chocolate profile type cigar but, this big baby kept calling me. I am concerned that it will be to full for this beer and overpower its light nature. But, the big sweet caramel and fruit are strong enough to play with this big boy cigar. Actually, they complement each other extremely well. The sweetness of the beer brings out the sweetness of the Maduro tobaccos. The dry cocoa and full bodied coffee notes of the cigar mix well with the flavors of the beer. I like the fullness of this cigar with smooth sweet nature of the Red East Extra. The beer keeps the palate refreshed from this strong cigar. The mouthfeel is very enjoyable during this pairing. This is a worthy experience. But, I am afraid of this beer all by itself because of its overwhelming sweetness. For me, this beer needs something to balance its sweetness.

Partagas Cifuentes Summer 05 & Wells Bombardier English Ale: Review

The Ale

After your nose passes the slight peppery and malty aroma your palate is greeted to an English Ale treat. The taste has a nice herbal hoppy bite with a rich malty characteristic. I get a cedary woody taste along with a red apple freshness. This is a nice English Ale that is firm and crisp. The mouthfeel has a dry and nice bitter bite like an English ale. It is still refreshing due to the good watery edges and slight carbonation that helps to cleanse the palate. My strength rating is a 4.5 during this pairing. This ale is perfect for smoking a cigar with.

The Cigar
Wrapper: Honduran
Filler: Honduran, Mexico, Dominican Rep.
Size: 4.5 x 60 Agosto figurado
My Strength rating: 4
I like the cedary taste that accompanies the nice soft spice notes and mild coffee profile. Not an extremely complex cigar here. But, if you like quality tobacco this was it. I liked this cigar when it came out on the market back then and when Cigars International was clearing out the last of these on the planet earth I had to buy a box. You know what, I still like them and I wish I bought two boxes. The short size makes for a short smoke. But, I am a slow smoker – I have an hour in already and I have about 15 minutes of a cigar left. I always believed to take your time smoking a cigar and enjoy the experience. I know guys from the cigar store who would smoke this cigar or a Short Story and be done in 20-25 minutes.

The Pairing
During this session I really liked these two paired up with each other. The spice interplay was very pleasant. The mild coffee of the cigar worked well with the hoppy bitterness and did not overwhelm the palate. The slight sweet malts were greeted with the cedar of the cigar to balance out the act. The mouthfeel of the ale made me want to enjoy my cigar. Those watery edges and slight carbonation purified the palate to prepare for another puff of the stogie. This really maximized my pleasure.

Maximizing Your Enjoyment

Maximize your enjoyment in tasting.

If you are new to the world of better – beer, wine, cigars, liqueurs or other spirits, look up the tasting notes on the web. Knowing what you are tasting can make a world difference. See if you can taste the different flavors that the producers of the product or the bloggers describe.

As you progress in your tasting and experience write down what you think. Then, go to the maker’s notes and the blogger’s notes to see how you do in comparison.