Macanudo Vintage Maduro 1997 Perfecto and Syrah Le Pousseur 2007

The Wine

Syrah Le Pousseur 2007

Bonny Doon Vineyard

Santa Cruz, California, USA, Earth

13.5% abv

$16.20

It has been a long time since I have had a Bonny Doon Wine.  Back around 2000 they were growing and growing fast.  One day at the doctor’s office I was reading a wine magazine and it had an article about the Bonny Doon owner downsizing because – he wanted to.  He wanted to spend more time in the field between the grape vines and less time marketing his wines. 

Appearance: Purple with a pretty purple rim

Aroma: light, very light, is my glass empty?, did I not pour the wine?, it’s in there but it sure is the lightest bouquet I have ever experienced.

What am I in for?

Flavors: okay, it’s tasty, nothing wrong here so, let’s get to it.  Nice juicy dark berries, a hint of cherry, earthy – soil like, this is strange with the lack of aroma. 

I like the taste that I am experiencing but, I feel like I am being cheated – I know there is more

Mouthfeel: seems to have a nice medium body but, I think I am missing a few notes or flavors due to the lack of aroma and I think that would give me a different read on the overall texture, 

Okay, I’ll light up a cigar and finish this glass while I decant some of the wine in preparation of dinner. 

My Strength Rating: 4.5 – medium body – the wine never opened up – I felt cheated.

To the Point: a bit disappointing, the flavors are nice but, they could be more with a nice bouquet

The Cigar

Macanudo Vintage Maduro 1997 Perfecto

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf Maduro

Fillers: Nicaraguan, Brazilian, and Dominican

Size: 6 x 49

Yes, that band is solid metal.

Off the Light and the First Half: a nice sweet maduro style on the first few puffs.  As the smoke continues it tastes like: black soil, rich medium roast coffee,  pumpernickel bread like quality that swirls around a sweet maduro note.  There is a light acidic bit. I’ll give it a 5 on my strength scale for the first third.



The one on the right



The Pairing: Okay, the lack of a nose on this wine is getting to me.  Usually, the aroma of the cigar then, the aroma of the wine blend together to help the melding of the flavors and one’s overall experience.   Now, without, I realize how many time when I puff a cigar and then smell a wine or beer - I say, ‘this is going to be great’ (or good, or okay),

The tasty dark berries, of the wine, do mix well with the maduro’s sweet nature and tasty dark bread like quality.  The earthy style of the cigar with its rich black soil likeness mingles with the pleasing mineral like soil earthy tone of the wine. 

I think I smelled something coming from the wine!  Some berry notes.  Damn they are gone on the next sip.

Second Half of the Cigar: smaller ring gauged cigars can burn warmer so making the cigar a bit more robust than their larger brothers in the same line-up.  I am not experiencing where this cigar is burning too warm.  Smoke the cigar at the right pace and it should not burn too warm. 

The notes are a little more robust than the first half.  Toasted dark bread, it is more of an earthy medium-full roast coffee at this point, I don’t notice the sweet maduro note, and instead of a rich black soil it is more forest floor like with notes of soil and dry leafs. 

The Pairing: I do like this pairing but, the lack of aroma is still an issue to me.  I like taking a few puffs of the cigar and then a sip of the wine to refresh the palate.  The wines berry notes linger on the palate long enough to enjoy a few puffs of the cigar then.