Estate Reserve: Unwrapped

While the wine and the premium cigar industries share many traits, they are also vastly different. A deep knowledge of the terroir, an artisanal appreciation for the process and the requirement of a refined palate clash against two very different plants grown in two very different regions.

When we met our friends at the Flint Knoll winery, we knew something magical was in the works, but what exactly it would be was a mystery to us both.

So we learned from each other. We spent time understanding the wines they made and the intentions behind their achievements. To them, we taught tobacco and how different leaves in different regions can impart entirely different smoking experiences. In discussing our unique ways of turning the raw into the refined, we found our avenue to craft something exceptional.

But how would we combine our crafts? The aging and maturation process is one of the remarkable similarities between wine and cigars. In the same way, tobacco must rest to balance and mature, so too must wine in order to enhance the profile and finish the flavors. Flint Knoll gifted us French Oak barrels previously used to age their Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, a rich and complex wine defined by currant, fruit and tobacco notes. 

To complement that profile, we knew we needed a mellow tobacco leaf to let the full-bodied flavor of our partner’s wine shine. But, we also needed a tobacco blend complex and enough to deliver a rich flavor all its own. We found a winner in the Ecuadorian Connecticut wrapper leaf, as its smooth cedar and vanilla notes would accentuate the intricate flavors of Flint Knoll’s Cabernet.

And so it began. We hand-selected the best Ecuadorian Connecticut leaves and aged them in the French Oak barrels until they reached maturation, allowing the subtleties of Flint Knoll’s award-winning cabernet barrels to influence the profile of our wrapper leaf. In doing so, we married our two crafts.

We balanced the cigar with an impeccable five-country blend for an intricate profile and an indulgent finish.

Macanudo Estate Reserve is a limited-edition cigar best reserved for moments of appreciation in life. If you’re lucky enough to have a few in your humidor, treasure them as two gifts from the earth joined as one.