Review: Cougar Vineyards Ciliegiolo 2021 (Temecula Valley)

Rick and Shannon taste Cougar Vineyard & Winery’s 2021 Ciliegiolo, a rare Italian red grape with deep Tuscan roots. Does this land as a Dump It, Try It, Pour It, or Buy It?

In this week’s bonus mini-episode of Pour Temecula, Rick DeLucio and Shannon Cole pour a glass of Ciliegiolo—a cherry-scented red from central Italy that usually hides in blends but shines brightly on its own at Cougar Vineyard & Winery. Their pick is Cougar’s 2021 Estate Ciliegiolo, a small-lot Temecula bottling that’s hand-picked, basket-pressed, and aged in a mix of American and French oak. Rick and Shannon dive into the grape’s history, its fresh, fruit-forward personality, and how Cougar became the first winery in the U.S. to earn varietal recognition for it before sharing their tasting notes and final rating on the show’s Dump It, Try It, Pour It, or Buy It scale.