2004 Le Cigare Blanc

$30.00 per bottle / $324.00 per case
$25.50 per bottle / $288.00 per case (Members)

Library Release

Le Cigare Blanc is the white analogue of Le Cigare Volant, our homage to the complex blended wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This iteration is dominated by roussanne, which contributes a real sense of minerality to the wine. We've supplemented this with a significant fraction of grenache blanc, which adds tannic structure and an unmistakable peachiness, plus a homeopathic dose of marsanne. The wine is intensely suggestive of white peach, honeydew, lime blossom, lilac and the stony gout des minéraux.

Winemaking Notes
2003 was the first year we felt our roussanne and grenache blanc showed high enough quality to deserve the Cigare label, and in 2004 the grapes once again displayed exceptional quality. All of the fruit is grown in the Central Coast viticultural area, with 70% from the Beeswax vineyard in Arroyo Seco.

The grapes were hand picked and pressed as whole clusters, which enables us to extract more phenolics and produce a richer, more complex wine. Once the juice had settled, we racked the clean juice to a stainless steel tank and added an aromatic yeast strain to carry out the fermentation. The grape varieties are fermented separately so we can make the ideal blend once the wines have completed fermentation. Once the blend was made, we added back the fluffy lees and performed batonage in a stainless steel tank.

We were able to store the wine without any sulfur by stirring the lees three times a week. The lees contribute to the wine in several ways. First, they act as an antioxidant by absorbing any oxygen in the wine, keeping the wine fresh. Also, as the yeast cells lyse (break open), they release molecules that enhance the mouthfeel of the wine.

Our 2004 Cigare Blanc has the velvety texture of a barrel fermented wine without the overpowering oak aromas. The wine completed 90% of malolactic fermentation, but the lees stirring absorbs the diacetyl (butter) flavors, allowing the wine to show its minerality. We fined the wine with a tiny amount of skim milk and isinglass to polish the peripheral texture of the wine. The wine was bentonite fined for heat stability, cold stabilized, filtered, and bottled.

Vital Statistics
Varietal Blend: 73% roussanne and 27% grenache blanc
Appellation: Central Coast
Alcohol by Volume: 14.3%
TA: 4.4 g/L
pH: 3.7