At 1.5 times the length of the standard Chateau Fuente vitola of the AF Chateau Fuente line, the Double Chateau Fuente is an indulgent, leisurely way to sample some of the very best tobaccos on offer from Chateau de la Fuente, the AF family estate in the mineral-rich lands of the Bonao Valley in the Dominican Republic.
This legendary estate started as a mere 37-acre plot that was sold to AF boss Don “Carlito” Fuente Junior by tobacco grower Angel Oliva in the early 1990s. Determined to make a 100% “puro” all-Dominican cigar, Carlito upended the entire cigar industry by cultivating tobaccos that no one ever thought could be grown in the island nation.
It is tobaccos from the Fuente family’s private reserve at the Chateau — which has now grown to more than 300 acres in size — that are enclosed in this vitola, surrounded by a nearly black, aromatic, genuine Connecticut Broadleaf maduro wrapper.
This toasty and tangy, smooth-drawing, mild-to-medium-bodied cigar is surprisingly flavorful and pungent; tastes that have been noted on the palate include cedar, oak, leather, molasses, vanilla, cocoa, black coffee and cane syrup, with a sprinkling of sweet spices.
At six-and-three-quarters inches in length (with a 50 ring gauge), these sticks will take their time to fully reveal the secrets of the Chateau’s finest leaves. But if you’re ordering these smokes, time is a luxury you surely can afford.