Grape: Carignan
Price: £9
Store: Majestic Wines
Country: France
Region: Herault, Languedoc
ABV: 13.5%
Sitting on a table for two outside his restaurant, I spotted a new friend of mine enjoying the evening warmth and taking in the lively spirit of Manchester's Northern Quarter. I went over to say hello and on his table was a bottle of red which, after exchanging pleasantries, he offered me a glass to taste. I wasn't going to say no.
What he offered me was a glass of 2007 Carignan which was extremely pleasing to taste, being smooth, refined and with an understated strength. Thanks to him, I had tried a new grape variety I have not consciously tasted before and so made a mental note to ensure my next review would be about the same grape. Although I have not been able to get my hands on the very same bottle in time, I still have a great example for you.
Carignan is widely grown in the south of France but originated across the border in Spain, where it was once a common component of Rioja. Having spread a little through Europe, Carignan embedded itself in France and at one point, became the most widely planted grape. In the 1980's growers were actually given subsidies to pull up some of their vines as significantly more wine was being produced than drunk: a phenomena called the 'wine lake'. As a high yielding crop, Carignan was picked on and this period saw a dramatic, although not detrimental, decrease of this grape. With high natural acidity and tannins, it is a good grape to mix with others such as Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvèdre and Merlot, adding colour and depth. The qualities that make this wine great to blend however, create difficulties when making a varietal version. The exception is vines over 50 years of age, which are widely considered to have sufficient maturity to create a grape which is suitable. The reason I bring this to your attention is because at this point, any of you with sufficient French language knowledge will have noticed the words 'Vieilles Vignes' on the label, which of course stands for 'Old Vines'.
On the nose first is a blend of slightly perfumed spice and gentle wood notes with well combined black currant, blackberry, cherry and maybe fig blended together to give a warm, deep, fruity smell.
The taste is very enjoyable, delivering what the smell promises. Immediately smooth and full bodied with the fruit and spice providing a burst of mouthwatering taste and heat, before fine tannins control the aftertaste. A well balanced and tasty drink throughout.
Learning about the wine lake was very interesting and if the past has just one lesson to teach us, it would be that we should learn from our mistakes. In today's climate of the enlightened drinker, there is a higher demand on wine which I am sure will pretty much rule out any possibility of the past repeating itself, however, I think erring on the side of caution is sensible and we should all buy more wine straight away and dive right in.
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