Wine and Movie Pairing: Vin Gris est Arrivé
“Language is the foundation of civilization.”
Now that awards season is in the rearview mirror, a fresh wine and movie pairing awaits! Let’s take a look at an Academy Award-nominated sensation of a movie from nearly 10 years ago with a timely message for today’s audiences. We’re pairing Denis Villeneuve’s seminal Arrival (2016) with Bonny Doon’s “Vin Gris de Cigare” rosé.
Arrival (2016) is based on the 1998 science fiction novella “Story Of Your Life” by Ted Chiang (the short story is now available in print under the name Arrival because of the popularity of the movie). Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is a linguist mourning the passing of her teenage daughter when aliens land on 12 designated spots around the globe. At the request of the U.S. Army, Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) is sent to the university where Louise teaches to recruit her into assisting with translating for the aliens alongside fellow linguist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) in Montana. What awaits the team at the military base camp in Montana are two endearing heptapods, a new written language, and a fascinating view on the perception of time that becomes the “weapon” Louise never knew she needed. Saying more than this would spoil the movie for the uninitiated, but I promise that this is a movie more focused on the power of language than anything else.
I’m not much of a science fiction person, but this movie is enthralling. It asks poignant questions about how humans and species relate to one another, especially if they don’t share the same language. The screenplay, adapted from the source material by Eric Heisserer (Bird Box), unveils surprises at exactly the right time to pique the audience’s interest in the subject matter, and it’s one of the best third acts written in the 2010s.
Director Denis Villeneuve (Dune, Blade Runner 2049) and cinematographer Bradford Young (A Most Violent Year, Selma) collaborated on finding an ethereal grey overtone to the look of the film that makes everything feel like it emerges out of clouds (allegedly, they call this look “dirty sci-fi” because it perpetually looks like a rainy Tuesday morning). The look of the film is beautiful and memorable - a new perspective on an age-old fascination with extraterrestrial beings.
On the acting front, the movie belongs to Amy Adams. This cerebral, understated actor has a lot of juicy material to play with, and her male co-stars give her the space to take lead both as Louise in the situation at hand and as a fellow actor tasked with leading her cast as the first name on the call sheet. Adams truly shines when she’s forced to find non-verbal ways of connecting with others, and Arrival manages to capture that strength while letting the actor color the character with warmth, curiosity, and the heavy weight of grief. This is her best work since Doubt (2008).
Jeremy Renner is a solid scene partner, bringing a sense of levity to the most heady scenes, which in turn gives extra weight to the moments where Ian Donnelly doubts what’s happening. And Forest Whitaker channels his inherent regal stature into an uptight Army colonel that lays down the groundwork for all the other characters, providing structure and urgency in a movie that could otherwise feel languid and lost in its own message.
Because of the movie’s focus on a female protagonist and its visitors from another realm, I’m super stoked to pair it with a light California rosé that may have been founded by an eccentric and talented man, but now calls a very talented woman its head winemaker. If you haven’t yet sought the joys of Bonny Doon’s “Vin Gris de Cigare”, you’re in for a treat. Plus, have you seen this label?
Bonny Doon was founded by the great Randall Grahm with the intention of creating The Great American Pinot Noir. When that quixotic pursuit eluded Grahm, he settled into a plot of land near Santa Cruz that provided the perfect cultivator for experimental Rhône varieties. Bonny Doon is most recognized for “Le Cigare Volant”, a red wines from the Central Coast of California modeled after the great Châteauneuf-du-Pape reds that debuted with the 1984 vintage. By 1989, Randall Grahm was pictured on the cover of Wine Spectator magazine with a mask and the nickname that started a movement: “The Rhône Ranger”.
Over the years, Bonny Doon has become an international standard bearer for well-made California wines that don’t break the bank. “Le Cigare Orange” is a delightful skin contact wine that I often recommend to those curious about orange-hued delights. Bonny Doon’s Picpoul is delightfully savory at the right moments. But it’s “Vin Gris de Cigare” that stands out as a rosé that blows past all expectations.
The 2023 vintage of “Vin Gris de Cigare” consists of 53.5% Grenache, 26.5% Mourvedre, and 20% Cinsault, pulling fruit mostly from Windfall Vineyard in Paso Robles in addition to two vineyards in Monterey. There’s a beautiful strawberries and cream quality that makes this wine super easy to drink, but the Grenache’s lighter body combines nicely with the Mourvedre, which adds some grounded, earthy notes to round out the wine. Expect to taste more white cherry, Saturn ring peach (yup, still running with the aliens theme), and some light pink florals. If there is a prosciutto and melon situation near you anytime soon, grab a bottle of this and a copy of the movie and enjoy.
The 2023 vintage of Bonny Doon’s “Vin Gris de Cigare” is available at your local independent wine shop. You can look up your closest retailer here on WineSearcher. Thank you for supporting your local wine shop stewards!
Arrival (2016) is available to rent or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, or on Blu-Ray and DVD.
You have to tell people the story of the "Le Cigare Volant" name! That's the bet part!