Pre Light
The Cavalier Genève Inner Circle Domaine Rouge in Toro. Cavalier as a brand has been slipping under my radar for far too long. I tried my first one a few months ago after a strong recommendation from a friend, and they have yet to disappoint. The tri country blend is encased in a Honduran Habano wrapper with Honduran Binder, and filler leaves from Honduras, Paraguay, and Nicaragua. The blend was made in memory of the late Pascal Decoppet, father of Sébastien Decoppet, the company’s founder. This example has a nearly perfect Colorado wrapper. Cavalier wrappers have this stiff, aged character to them, which often leads to some superb combustion. The draw was a touch tight, especially given the ring gauge, but right in the sweet spot for me. I also love the red on the double band here.
I
First light on the Domaine Rouge. Notes of hay, toasted wheat and dark honey on the palate with an undertone of light roast milky coffee. The retrohale is showing sweet grassy notes, and some mint in the background. There’s a flavor I get on the retro every few puffs that tastes almost like a white tea. The flavors are medium, and very elegant so far. About an inch and a half in I start picking up on rich milk chocolate note on the palate. Lighter pulls are leaning towards hay, cedar, and white tea. Deeper pulls are showing more of the sweet notes. There’s a lot of subtle complexity in the mix here. The profile is extremely well rounded.
II
The second third on the Domaine Rouge is very in line with the first so far. There’s an additional creamy vanilla sweetness on the retro that’s creeping up. The main tones on the palate are still the hay, cedar, and toasted wheat. The retro is where most of the sweetness is with the vanilla, oak, and dark honey. The main tones are staying fairly constant, but there’s been some slow and steady transitions with the background flavors. I’m finding lemon verbena, graham crackers, and rich oak.
III
Final third with the The Cavalier Genève Inner Circle Domaine Rouge in Toro. Graham crackers, musty cedar, and molasses are the dominant notes on the palate. Rich vanilla, and fruity dark chocolate are the main tones on the retro. There are undertones of sweet cream, and both sweet and bitter herbs mingling in the background. The interplay of the dark chocolate and the herb notes is very interesting here. The flavors started going a bit dark with an inch and a half left. I decided to put this one down when we got to the last inch.
Conclusions
The bar has been set pretty high with the The Cavalier Genève cigars I’ve had over the past few months. Sébastien Decoppet is working wonders down in Honduras. The Domaine Rouge started off with a really clean flavor profile, and built up to a rich finish. The hay, and honey tones in the first third were fantastic, and I really enjoyed the herbs and chocolate in the final third. As I’ve come to expect with Cavalier the construction was top tier as well. While this isn’t a cigar I can see myself reaching for on a regular basis, it’s a very special blend, and I can see myself keeping a few around for that rare occasion or just when I feel like treating myself to something extraordinary.
