Carlos Torano Signature Collection and Villa Rubini 2008 Cabernet Franc

The Cigar
(see posting for details)
There is a very nice green pepper and pink pepper quality. There is also a forest floor earthiness mingled in with a mild to medium coffee note. I am not disappointed with this stick. I would smoke this cigar again.

The Wine

Villa Rubini 2008 Cabernet Franc
Colli Orientali del Friuli

This 13% abv Cabernet Franc is a true pepper experience. The fine grind pepper profile is the main dish here. There is a solid earthy quality with dark cherry and black current notes to back up the pepper. This wine is pretty simple in its taste. Being a Cabernet Franc lover I like to try as many different Francs as I can. While this is not complex I still like this wine because of the peppery experience.

For those of you who are not familiar with the Cabernet Franc grape – well you should be. It is known as the parent grape to Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc.

The Pairing

This is going to be an interesting pairing. These two really mirror one another in their tasting profiles. Both, have a solid fine grind like pepper quality. In the pepper category it seems like a green pepper not the bold citrus bite of a coarse black pepper. The cigar also has a sweet pink pepper note that adds some variety to the pepper profile. Both, have a nice earthy quality but, not the type that coats the mouth with a jammy feel. It is more of a forest floor or mushroom like earthiness. I feel like I can taste the soil that they were both grown in. Finally, they both have a matching strength rating to me – 5.5.

This is a very good pairing overall. I like pepper taste here. I thought maybe it would be pushed overboard because they both have this trait and the taste would be too much or would cancel each other out.

The black current note is still tasty and I think the cherry seems a little sweeter in this wine while I am smoking this cigar.

I think if one of these had a stronger black pepper style that it would then override the taste of the other and have an effect on the other. But, that is not the case here – So, light one up and enjoy the Torano Signature Collection Cigar with a bottle of this Cabernet Franc Wine.