• About Caspernick
  • Star Ratings
  • The Master tasting list

Caspernick's Blog

~ My personal wine tasting notes

Caspernick's Blog

Tag Archives: cotes du roussillon

Benjamin Darnault Roussillon Villages 2019, France

29 Friday Jan 2021

Posted by caspernick in Wine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

$11, 3 stars, 85 points, cotes du roussillon, france, grenache, Naked Wines, syrah


This Grenache/Syrah blend is very dark purple in the glass and 75% opaque. On the nose I get telltale raspberry plus red currants and red licorice. The palate is quite dry right off the bat and a touch austere. As I work my way through the black tea notes I discover raspberry and cherry cola. The mid palate is very tannic but I still get red fruit and now- black licorice. The finish is a long and dry affair, the tannins really gripping my gums. There is a touch of bitterness all through the wine that bothers me somewhat, perhaps a bit of decanting or aerating would soften it up? I think this is a basic wine that will do well paired with hearty meat stews, especially Lamb. It gets 85 points from me and at $11- 3 stars. Drink till 2023. Salut….

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

Thunevin Calvet Cuvée Constance 2010

10 Thursday Oct 2013

Posted by caspernick in Wine

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

$15, 4 stars, 89 points, carignan, cotes du roussillon, grenache


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….

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest

Like this:

Like Loading...

RSS Me!

RSS Feed

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 289 other subscribers
Follow Caspernick's Blog on WordPress.com

Archives

Blogs I Follow

  • Finger Lakes Connected
  • the drunken cyclist
  • The Bubbly Professor
  • grapefriend
  • Drink What YOU Like

Blog at WordPress.com.

Finger Lakes Connected

the drunken cyclist

I have three passions: wine, cycling, travel, family, and math.

The Bubbly Professor

Excellent Adventures in Wine and Spirits Education

grapefriend

grapefriend. wine. fun.

Drink What YOU Like

  • Follow Following
    • Caspernick's Blog
    • Join 177 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Caspernick's Blog
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: