If you don't mind, Jake, I'll piggy-back on your pig-tailed cigar review
to add my own comments:
I, too, was fortunate (maybe...) to pick up this limited release a few months ago from Winston's Humidor. Have shared a few & smoked a few, including last night on the deck at our beach house. My review would be similar to yours, except--I didn't like it. Not very much at all. Here's why:
It struck me as an illusione cg:4 wannabe. For some reason I can't help but shake that feeling on most Viaje sticks I smoke--they're all very similar to an illusione blend, but just not quite there. This one was harsh & peppery at first, but settled down after the first 1" or so. It had the peppery spice, leather & woody tones that you noted, but I didn't get any of the chocolate. The stick needed some sweetness, I should have paired it with some port to balance the very strong flavors of burnt, chargrilled meat that picked up about halfway. The cigar was tarry, reminding me of one of the original 5V Miami blends I smoked ROTT a few years ago. Those finally settled down to become great cigars, maybe these will as well.
On the good side, I'd say the construction on it was top notch. And I really liked the presentation of the cigar. I smoked it within an inch of the band, but had to put it down for good at that point.
I had heard that this was a reblended 2010 Summerfest. I have a couple of those left from last year, perhaps I'll pull one out to see what time has done to it.