# Le Cigare Orange Take Me to Your Liter (NV)

- **Producer:** Bonny Doon Vineyard
- **Colour:** orange
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Grenache Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Grenache Gris, Orange Muscat, Vermentino
- **Region:** California, United States
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 11.5%
- **Average price:** €16
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–13 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** apricot, peach, nectarine, orange, lemon, grapefruit, blossom, ginger

## About this wine

Created by California Rhône Ranger Randall Grahm at Bonny Doon Vineyard, the Le Cigare line pays homage to a famous 1954 Châteauneuf-du-Pape ordinance prohibiting flying saucers or cigares volants from landing in local vineyards. The Take Me To Your Liter bottling is a playful sci-fi pun celebrating a 1.0-liter bottle format. Sourced from cool-climate vineyards across California's Central Coast AVA, this skin-contact orange wine combines whimsical heritage with expressive, minimal-intervention winemaking.

## Interesting facts

- In 1954, Châteauneuf-du-Pape passed a law banning flying saucers ('cigares volants') from landing in vineyards, inspiring this wine line.
- The 'Take Me To Your Liter' name is a humorous sci-fi pun dedicated to its larger 1.0-liter bottle size.
- Fermented with 14 to 16 days of skin contact and zero added sulfur during fermentation.

## Food pairing

The wine's vibrant acidity cuts through rich and fatty meats, while its subtle tannic grip and complex aromatics allow it to match spiced curries, roasted poultry, and savory cheeses effortlessly.

## Wine making process

Grapes are harvested early at low Brix to preserve natural acidity. The fruit is 100% destemmed into rotary fermenters and undergoes a 4 to 5 day cold soak on skins. Fermentation occurs at cool temperatures in stainless steel and closed-top rotary tanks, maintaining skin contact for 14 to 16 days. No sulfur is added from harvest through fermentation. The wine ages in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks without oak before receiving a minimal sulfur addition prior to bottling under screwcap.