Tatuaje Tainos Cigar and Gerard Bertrand Corbieres 2006: Pairing

The Wine

Gerard Bertrand Corbieres 2006

Syrah & Mourvedre

13.5% abv

Gerard-bertrand.com

France

Opened the bottle last night and had a glass with dinner.  The taste was okay, the nose very nice, but I was too tired to do a wine review.  The taste was simple and boring and I did not even finish the glass.  So, I capped the bottle and here I am today doing the review today. 

Appearance: deep garnet

Aroma: black cherry, dark currants, herbal-spice note

Flavors: Much better today.  Firm earthy quality, nice dark berry blend, nice touch of sweet black cherry, pleasing spice.  As I focus on the spice I notice a touch of thyme and white pepper.   On my second glass there is a good smoky note hitting the nose and this transfers to the taste. 

Mouthfeel: firm, jammy at times, smooth overall, tannins under control, nice acidic structure,

My Strength Rating: 7 – very tasty, on the second day, firm and thick texture for a good medium-full mouthfeel. 

If you get this bottle, decant it for at least 20 minutes to get the flavors to open up. 

The Cigar and Pairing

Tatuaje Tainos

Wrapper: Habano Ecuador

Binder: Nicaraguan

Fillers: Nicaraguan

Size: 7.6 x 49 Double Corona

Source: Tatuajecigars.com

Tatuaje is Spanish for tattoo

Off the Light: smooth, portabella mushroom earthy quality, touch of spice.

As the smoking experience continues I think it reminds me of: meaty portabella, sweet spice, a touch of pink peppercorn, rich soil.  Medium on the palate.

I introduced the cigar on the second half of the wine bottle.  The wine notes have opened up and I thought this cigar would make a good pairing and I am not disappointed.

The wine mingles well with this tasty cigar.  The interplay of the spices is a tasty treat.  The dark berries and black cherry of the wine balance with the earthy mushroom qualities of the cigar at this point.

Mid-Point: late on the first third and moving into the mid-point the black pepper spice is starting to kick in.  The sweet spice and mushroom notes have moved on but the earthy note reminds me of a rich soil.  There is a medium roast coffee note developing along with some hardwood note.  The body weight seems to move into the medium-full category in the mid-point.  I’ll place it as a 6 on my strength scale.

The wines white pepper and thyme notes complement the cigars black peppery profile that has developed.  The rich soil earth and coffee notes of the cigar play well with those berry and cherry notes of the wine.  

Down the Stretch: firm hardwood, forest floor earthy notes, coffee, and green peppercorn mix for a good medium-full experience.  I’ll give it a 6.5 on my strength scale.  The cigar never becomes bitter down the stretch. 

My Strength Rating: 6 – nice complexities and I like how the cigar evolved throughout the smoking experience. 

This wine has been a perfect match with this cigar.  The wines flavors seem to comingle with that of the cigar and this is maximizing my smoking experience. 

With each sip of the wine I look forward to each puff of the cigar and likewise.   As I near the end of the cigar and the last few sips of wine I just wish this experience could continue.