On the nose, the impression of candy-pants sweet (you can’t smell sweetness), withal, cheery cherry vanilla. Lighter to medium body, finishes cleanly with a berry burst. A balsamic/resinous note of oud was suggested and sure enough, it’s in there. The relatively modest degree of EtOH makes it an excellent choice for spicy/Cajun cuisine or barbecue.
Winemaking
Pretty standard red winemaking protocol; 100% destemmed, 14 day cuvaison; élevage in older (neutral) barrique.
Vineyard/Vintage Notes
The Distinctive Explorative Wine Network (D.E.W.N.) remains committed to vinous exploration; our journey progresses (or lurches sometimes) far into the future, or sometimes into the deep past. This vintage of exploration comes about when the bordealais and rhodanian cépages (grown on the Central Coast of California) intermarry. One is eerily transported (at least in one’s gustatory imagination) to southern France, via. Provence, where the heady scent of the garrigue is omnipresent and one can’t help but tap into the tapenade. Cabaret, a boîte in a bottle evinces notes of black olive, green peppercorn, cardamom, and candied violet.
The San Juan North and SLO Clark vineyards (Cabernet & Tannat) are located in the San Juan Creek AVA of Paso Robles. The broad alluvial plain of the AVA consists of mostly loamy sands, and gravelly to sandy clay loams. These create moderately draining conditions in the vineyards which encourage moderate vigor in the vines. This also provides an environment for deep soil rooting depths and some moderate to high water stress. With the abundance of sunshine in the San Juan Creek AVA, moderate yields are common with earlier harvest dates. The Loma del Rio vineyard is typically where we source our Grenache for Vin Gris, however, 2022 was such an exceptional harvest year, that I was able to leave some rows to hang longer allowing for red wine production.
Based in Santa Cruz, the heartland of New Age thinking, dreaming, and deferred transition to “adulthood,” Bonny Doon Vineyard has a not so surprising history of idealism and innovation. Founded in the bucolic hamlet of Bonny Doon in 1983 by Randall Grahm, Bonny Doon Vineyard is known for its strikingly original wines made from lesser-known (though no less “noble”) grape varieties, the so-called vinous Ugly Ducklings. Bonny Doon Vineyard made its mark on the world of wine with pioneering work in the exploration of Rhône varieties, innovative production techniques, and very imaginative marketing that has at times, truth be told, been too clever by half.
Since the adoption of biodynamic farming practices in 2004 and in 2006, the radical slimming down of both product portfolio and overall case production (with a concomitant greater degree of focus and attention to detail), the wines of Bonny Doon Vineyard have evinced a more complex expression of varietal character, a more noticeable sense of organization and a greater degree of life-force. We invite you to share in our passion. We are on a journey that began with “wines of effort,” wines that were pleasing, harmonious, and provided a certain intellectual frisson. And yet, ultimately these wines were but steps along the evolutionary path, one that is unfailingly pointed in the direction of wines of terroir, the qualities of which transcend the winemaker’s complete control and leverages (to use dreadful MBA-speak) the intelligence of capital n, Nature, an intelligence capable of creating complexity and order unimaginable to our finite sensibility. We are terroir seekers, and our path presently brings us through the territory of wines possessing life force, and the ability to withstand oxidative challenge. The vitality is present in the wine; it is now a matter to polish and to refine and eventually to reveal the wine’s inherent terroir.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
This wine arrived on Friday, right before my son and his girlfriend cam by for a late lunch. I opened it right away so we could have it with lunch and I could get their opinion. Nat is not much of a wine drinker but she did like this, as did my son. We had it with ham, baked pineapple and salad which paired well. Not any really insightful comments except “this is good!”. I resealed it to share with my fellow “splitter” on the following day. We shared the rest of the bottle over cheese and crackers and found it very enjoyable. I would say it is a light to med bodied red, fruity and goes well with food. It will not disappoint.
CabeRat checking on Janauary 6th 2025 the year of our lord.
Screwtop (no issue here).
Look:
Ruby. No sediment of note.
Nose:
Aroma of Vanilla notes, but less sweet smelling than the taste.
Taste:
Medium body. Notes of Cherry. Vanilla. Plum.
Aftertaste:
A slight dark berry finish, and a bit of sticky raisin- honestly not a huge fan of that myself, but it mellows as you drink it.
Bonus round:
Blue jeans wine. Bring to a BBQ or a night campfire on the beach. My girlfriend loved it- I was more in the ‘pretty good/not great’ mindset.
You can rearrange the letters “bonny doon cabinet” to spell “Not Bonbon Daycare”. Do with that what you will.
@ecue Thank you for the report - and great “table leg” photo. Question. Would you consider this a sweet wine? I don’t think I saw a RS content on the description.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Bonny Doon Vineyard Cabaret - $60 = 29.99%
2022 Bonny Doon Vineyard Cabaret, Central Coast
Tasting Notes
Winemaking
Vineyard/Vintage Notes
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$540.00/Case for 12x 2022 Bonny Doon Vineyard Cabaret, Central Coast at Bonny Doon Vineyard
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jan 27 - Tuesday, Jan 28
2022 Bonny Doon Vineyard Cabaret
3 bottles for $49.99 $16.66/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
This wine arrived on Friday, right before my son and his girlfriend cam by for a late lunch. I opened it right away so we could have it with lunch and I could get their opinion. Nat is not much of a wine drinker but she did like this, as did my son. We had it with ham, baked pineapple and salad which paired well. Not any really insightful comments except “this is good!”. I resealed it to share with my fellow “splitter” on the following day. We shared the rest of the bottle over cheese and crackers and found it very enjoyable. I would say it is a light to med bodied red, fruity and goes well with food. It will not disappoint.
Bonny Doon Vineyard Cabaret, 2022
CabeRat checking on Janauary 6th 2025 the year of our lord.
Screwtop (no issue here).
Look:
Ruby. No sediment of note.
Nose:
Aroma of Vanilla notes, but less sweet smelling than the taste.
Taste:
Medium body. Notes of Cherry. Vanilla. Plum.
Aftertaste:
A slight dark berry finish, and a bit of sticky raisin- honestly not a huge fan of that myself, but it mellows as you drink it.
Bonus round:
Blue jeans wine. Bring to a BBQ or a night campfire on the beach. My girlfriend loved it- I was more in the ‘pretty good/not great’ mindset.
You can rearrange the letters “bonny doon cabinet” to spell “Not Bonbon Daycare”. Do with that what you will.
@ecue Thank you for the report - and great “table leg” photo. Question. Would you consider this a sweet wine? I don’t think I saw a RS content on the description.
@ecue @Leatherchair Yes, I have the same question. Your note
“Nose: Aroma of Vanilla notes, but less sweet smelling than the taste.”
Does that mean that it tasted sweet to you?
@ecue @Leatherchair AND how do you drink your coffee? Black?
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2022 Bonny Doon Vineyard Cabaret - $60 = 29.99%
Low ethanol mentioned… do we know %?
@kaolis 12.4%
Vanilla makes me think some American oak perhaps? And ‘sweet candy’ - any notice of RS on the wine? The low ETOH is certainly enticing . . .