Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare Rosé 2021

In the last 30+ years, perhaps no other winery in California has had as much success with Rhone varietals as the great Randall Grahm. He would grow his tiny vineyard project into the 28th-largest winery in the country with pioneer brands such as Big House, Cardinal Zin, and Pacific Rim.

A man with that kind of passion and drive cannot be slowed down, so eventually he’d sell off his three biggest brands in the 2000s to focus on producing singular wines expressive of place. He also decided to dry-farm his legendary Estate Cigare vineyard, a move that would be risky for some, but for Grahm, it just further separates him from his peers.

Of course, as Grahm starts to dry-farm this vineyard, the concentration and flavors have only intensified. The latest batch of wines from him are the juiciest, most seductive I’ve tasted from Bonny Doon in the fifteen or so years I’ve been sampling these wines. Unsurprisingly, it has resulted in an increased demand as well as a plethora of big scores.