Perdomo ESV Robusto Natural 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

The Cigar

Perdomo ESV Robusto Natural

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Connecticut

Fillers: Nicaraguan

Size: 5 x 54

I smoked this cigar at the Perdomo preview at Smoky’s of Northville and it was full bodied on the first half and seemed to mellow a bit on the second half.  Let’s see how it reviews today. 

Off the Light: nice strong cedary spice right off the bat – it had me sneezing.  Underneath that powerhouse cedary style there are some earthy tones that remind me of dry fall leafs, mushroom and moss.  This cigar emits tons of gray smoke.  The cedar spice calms down a little and now the spice reminds me of white and green peppercorn mix. 

The Pairing: now this is a good pairing.  I paired this wine with that Bad Ass Cigar which was bad – I’m glad I had this cigar selected to do with the second half of this bottle.  The strong spicy style of the cigar is a nice contrast with this smooth and elegant Cab Franc from Peninsula Cellars.  The cigar seems to bring out the oak spice in the wine and the soil like earthy tone.  This is a good example of what a fine cigar matched with the right wine can be … a quality experience. 

Second Half: as the burn entered the second half the spice really subsided.  Toasted grains, dry leafs, cedar, and dry soil.  Boy is that first half a man’s cigar.  The first half is not made for the faint of heart.  The smoke from this cigar is just amazing.  The mouthfeel changes from the steel wool like texture on the first half to a semi-smooth wool like feel. 

The Pairing: the dark berries of the wine just seem to transfer to the cigar for a pleasing experience.  This is a very good medium-full matching.  The cedar from the cigar mingles with the toasted oak from the wine.  The wine seems to bring out a semi-creamy feel in the cigar.  This is just one fine pairing. 

What a difference in a beverage and cigar pairing – from the Bad Ass Cigar to this Perdomo SEV Natural.  The Bad Ass cigar did not add anything to the tasting experience and the Perdomo is just pure bliss to this cigar fan.  

To the Point:  I like this.  Perdomo is back on my radar.  I’ll be buying a few more of these.