Bad Ass Cigar and Peninsula Cellars 2010 Cabernet Franc: Pairing

The Wine

Peninsula Cellars 2010 Cabernet Franc

Peninsula Cellars

Old Mission Peninsula

Hog’s Back Vineyard & Ligon Vineyard

PeninsulaCellars.com

$25.00

13% abv

Appearance: a pretty crimson body with a ruby edge

Aroma just after opening: reminds me walking into a wine room at a winery; nice aromatic berry bowl and a touch of spice

Aroma after allowed to breathe: blackberry, black plum, black currant with a nice touch of spice.  The dark berry notes seemed to be a little more discernible after the wine opened up.

Flavors: boysenberry, raspberry, currant, hint of earth, as the wine opens a slight tart cranberry with a touch of toasted oak, light spice probably coming from the oak, flavors come together well

Mouthfeel: mixed berries on the delivery and mid; light spice on mid and finish; smooth – they use the word elegant on the bottle to describe the mouthfeel;

My Strength Rating: 6 – just limping into the medium-full range

To the Point: I like this Franc; I only bought one bottle – I’ll have to get some more. 

The Cigar

Bad Ass Cigar

Frankenmuth Cigar Company

989-652-0511

Supposedly a Kid Rock cigar – If it is anything like the Bad Ass Beer … I should be ready to throw it in the trash halfway through.  I still ask myself ‘why the hell did I buy this cigar.’  They were probably selling them at the beer tent last year and the beer made me buy it.  One, I am not a Kid Rock fan; Two, the label is just pure tacky – two confederate flags stand behind the name Bad Ass with two stripper silhouettes. 

Actually, the cigar is not bad.  Not great but, not bad.  Smooth earthy tones with a touch of mild coffee.  This is a fairly simple mild-medium cigar.  The cigar is too one dimensional or simple so, it will bore the advance cigar smoker.

Oh, the second half of the cigar was a different story.  A strange note evolved.  The best I can call it is … factory floor.  I don’t know what a factory floor taste like but, it probably is not good and so is the second half of this cigar.  Time to say good bye to this cigar – I just can’t finish it.    

The Pairing

During the first half of the cigar:

This is an okay pairing.  This cigar really can’t hurt anything but; it is not going to maximize your tasting experience when you pair it with something.  The mild earthy tones of the cigar work with the mild earthy tones of the wine.  The nice thing about this simple mild-medium body cigar is that it does not interfere with the tasting notes of this wine.   

I am going to push the envelope with this wine and pair the second half of the bottle with a fuller bodied smoke that is peppery.  I’ll have to eat something to get that nasty taste of the Bad Ass Cigar out of my mouth.  

Another bad cigar with someones famous name attached to it.