2013 Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant (Screwcap)

Bonny Doon Vineyard near Santa Cruz is one of California’s most idiosyncratic producers, thanks to its founder, Randall Graham. Graham was a Pinot Noir obsessed college student in Santa Cruz in the late 1970s, who, a few years later, convinced his parents to help him start a winery in Bonny Doon, a hamlet in the Santa Cruz mountains. Unable to produce Pinot Noir that pleased him, he switched to making wines with Rhone grapes. In 1986 he released his first commercial wine, the 1984 Le Cigar Volant, which was an homage to Châteauneuf du Pape. The rest is history. Graham was among the first California producers to make and successfully market Rhone-style wines, and his were especially notable for their off-beat labels, tongue-in-cheek names and contrarian marketing. He started using screwcaps when they were still reviled by many in the industry, and expanded his Euro-centric approach to winemaking to include Italian and Spanish-style wines. By the early 21st century wine reviewers blamed Bonny Doon’s very large production levels for a drop in quality, and Graham subsequently sold off several of his more commercial labels. Today the estate still focuses on wines made from Rhone, Italian and Spanish grapes. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that Graham “is one of the most gifted and brilliant wine producers in California.”

Santa Cruz Mountains AVA includes high elevation territory in the counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Mateo. The AVA follows the coast line from San Francisco to Monterey with elevations from 400 feet to 3,000 feet above sea level. There are 1,500 vineyard acres and the AVA was established in 1981. Despite the challenging terrain in these rugged mountains and hills, highly esteemed wineries have been located here since the early 20th century, when Paul Masson, a Frenchman by birth, started making sparkling wine in the area. By the 1970s vineyards were growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Numerous microclimates within the AVA offer viticulturists diverse growing conditions, and many varietals are grown successfully.