The  ’07 Cigare certainly shows the family flavor profile of red fruits, herbal and earthy notes in a savory medium bodied package. But it is quite a different wine!

A blend of grenache, syrah and mourvèdre with just a soupçon of cinsault, make for a bright and wonderfully gamey wine. Very youthful with toasty notes of cherry, birch, sassafras and pomegranate. Pair this racey red with a bloomsdale spinach salad with sherry vinaigrette garnished with carpaccio of tuna or beef. Speaking of beef, a rare steak in any number of variations (tri-tip, hanger, New York, filet) would be quite delish. But more exotic fare such as chicken tikka masala or Tandoori lamb chops will also work wonderfully well. While the zesty ’07 is excellent right now, decanting or aging it for 2-3 more years would be all to the good.

Varietals:  60% grenache, 31% syrah, 5% mourvèdre, 4% cinsault