Tag Archives: carignan

Marrenon Classique Mediterannee 2011

26 Saturday Oct 2013

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In my quest to sample as many wines as possible I will even pay $8 for a co-op made wine served in a plastic cup onboard a United airlines flight. They used to serve a decent NV wine called Fox Grove.
This French version is not quite as decent but was certainly serviceable. I tried to research this one a little more and only came up with the fact that it’s a co-operative wine from the Luberon and Ventoux regions of France (south east from Chateauneuf du-Pape ). I’m guessing a Syrah blend with perhaps some Carignan. A basic wine that offered immediate pleasure without complexity or airs. It does what it’s supposed to do, drink easily and fade away quickly. Mainly blue fruits on the nose and palate, very little tannins but some good acidic juiciness. It’s really hard to pick out nuances in a plastic cup in a pressurized airplane, so I will leave at that. This is perhaps an $8 bottle that won’t embarrass you at a party. 84 points and 3 stars. Salut….

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Thunevin Calvet Cuvée Constance 2010

10 Thursday Oct 2013

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Half and half Grenache and Carignan, a great blend from the Roussillon region.  I was seeking a basic country wine to go with my roast chicken and Peri Peri sauce (spicy as a mo-fo) with Arugula (Rocket) salad, more spice.  I needed a raw, acidic, somewhat tannic, fruit forward wine for my meal.  I was not far off.  Usually, spice kills the red wines as I discovered.  This particular dinner was more about spice than heat.  The Peri Peri sauce comes from Nando’s, a South African restaurant that uses the sauce to warm things up a bit.

The wine itself was purchased for about $15.  A great deal considering the big man gave it a 90+ rating.  I’m going with 89.   It offers up raw Blueberry, green peppers and lithe tannins with a bracing acidity.  The blue component was the right anti-spice and the acidic component was right up my alley for the meal.  It’s difficult to pair red wines with anything spicy, the rougher the better I reckon.  What I mean is that finesse has no place here.  The fruit needs to be forward and really in your grill.  Secondary nuances are overwhelmed.  Stick to the basic, young country wines that have the brawn.  This is a wine that is flexible, capable of tackling heat, grilled meats and even roast chicken.  I would imagine it would kill a Lasagne.  4 stars in my system.  Salut….

Ortas Les Viguiers Cotes du Rhone 2009

14 Sunday Apr 2013

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My friend brought this bottle to the party, claiming “France- 2009, you can’t go wrong”….. He is quite correct.  At $9.99 a bottle, this little beauty is a winner.  Blended with 70% Grenache, 20% Carignan and the last 10% Cinsault, this wine has much to offer.  A deep purple color in the glass, it translated into dark fruits on the nose and the palate.  Blackberry and red currants meet an earthy quality swirling around in some pretty young tannins.  This wine is still young, with some tannins still to be resolved.  I reckon it will develop nicely in two years and be much better.  For now, 88 points and 4 stars.

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Domaine de Dionysis, Cairanne la Cigalette ’09

04 Wednesday Jan 2012

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Wow, bang-for-the-buck stuff folks. Run, don’t walk to the nearest place that sells this QPR beast.
From the Rhone region of France, it is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre and Carignan that sings “Drink Me”. On the nose, very good initial flavors typical of the blend, on the first taste, great balance of fruit, tannins and acidity. I did not pay much for this gem, only to find out it got a 90 point pro rating from the boys at WS. A five star effort in my opinion as it delivers everything.
The Rhone blends are a great way to enjoy the variety of grapes that they use. On the mid-palate this wine shows really nice complexity, no doubt from the different grapes. The tannins are very smooth, non-obtrusive and have the strength to hold this wine until 2015 at the earliest. Seriously, this is some good shiz that needs to be searched out. Another gem in the French wine arena that doesn’t over-charge and under-perform. Yay

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Les Douze ’08

16 Sunday Oct 2011

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Here’s an interesting one for you….  In the south of France, vignerons compete to be included in the blend for that year’s offering of Les Douze (translated into the twelve).  These 12 wines are blended from Syrah, Carignan and Grenache, all Rhone varietals.  Every year the wine changes as the entries are evaluated and blended, producing an eclectic mix from year to year.  I had high hopes for this wine, and was not disappointed, even though I drank it way too young.  The dryness was a little overpowering, but promises to keep the wine healthy as it ages and develops.  A very interesting concept of putting the best wines forward and compiling a unique wine every year.  The co-op claims a full bodied effort that offers spice, can’t disagree there.  Forward thinkers like these guys are on the front running of giving the boys up north a lesson in quality versus price.  When the hype of Bordeaux dies down, they will be left holding the bag while these kinds of wine makers will have stolen the hearts and wallets of the sensible everyday wine drinker.  Well done you lot!  5 stars and an enviable 90 pointer from the novice over here.