 Don't know if April was officially International Carignan Appreciation Month, but darn it all we're going to celebrate as if it was! Like the Carignan in the Insider's Pick a few weeks ago from Chile, this is a unique example coming from an area where the varietal doesn't usually get featured. Mazuelo is the Spanish name for Carignan, and while it is a traditional variety in Rioja it is almost always a low portion of the blend as a supporting role to Tempranillo. More and more wineries in the region are playing with featuring the individual varieties of Rioja, nice for diversity as well as showing different ways to express the regional terroir. Carignan can be a very vigorous, high yield grape as we've stated before, so when a producer is able to get that vigor under control the depth and complexity really shines through. Dusty earth and bright currant aromas pop on the aromas, with a touch of toasty oak coming out that sort of sweetens the nose a bit. The palate is quite different than the Chilean wine, dustier with less weight of fruit, but a longer and finer finish of blackberry skin, racy cranberry and anise seed, carrying that fine Rioja elegance. Restrained, but at less than 13%abv it isn't lacking for complexity or flavor, a nice match with lighter savory dishes.
0 Comments
 Bordeaux is a huge region that produces a massive volume of wine each vintage, one of the highest producing AOCs in France. To stand out in this crowd simply making good wine may not always be enough. When the owners of this Chateau near the border of Castillon bought the property more than a decade ago, they looked to make large investments into improving the quality and stature of their wine. First off they went to a high-density planting pattern in the vineyards, which forces each vine to compete more with its neighbor for resources and (in theory) improves grape quality. They also converted most of their new vineyards to Malbec, usually a background blending grape in Bordeaux, but now THE headliner in this wine. I'm sure there are more than a few wineries in nearby Cahors saying 'Hey! Malbec is OUR thing!' But you can't argue with the results, as this is a much different think than the rustic traditional 'Black Wines' Cahors is famous for producing. Almost sweet blackberry and camphor aromas at first with some toasty oak tones, getting darker and more peppery as it opens up. The palate is distinctly Bordeaux in its polish and fine tannic mouthfeel, full but not ripe or sweet on the fruit like an Argentine version, finishing with lots of black fruit and berry skin and a hint of anise. A formidable Bordeaux built for robust meals, perhaps just in time for your Easter lamb
 In most parts of the world, Carignan isn't exactly a prized grape variety. More like 'tolerated' as a necessity, disdained as a viniferous weed though not to the extent of, say, kudzu in the South. It is the most heavily planted grape in France by a country mile, the backbone of the bulk Vin de Table industry as a grape that can produce almost ridiculous volumes of grapes with ease in the dry Mediterranean regions. It takes a lot of work to reign that growth in, more than many are willing to do to get higher quality results, but you do find the occasional success story in areas like Corbieres and the odd old-vine project in places like California (like store favorite Lioco). Surprisingly Chile also has a decent supply of older Carignan vines too, and in recent years more and more producers are taking on the challenge to tame this creature. A word to the wise: read carefully when shopping the Chilean aisle and don't confuse 'Carignan' with their more famous 'Carmenere' grape. Very easy to do, done it more than a few times ourselves. Terranoble is working with ancient vines from coastal dry farmed sites in the cooler Maule Valley, helping to dial back the vine's natural vigor and pulling better weight and flavor from the grapes. A savory mix of dark dried fruits and soft worn leather aromas, very naturally spiced fragrances without any toast coming from the barrels. On the palate the fruit gets more plummy and dark but also catches Carignan's natural acidity by throwing sone tart cherry skin and some zip on the fine polished finish. More elegant than expected, still persistent and sturdy, capable of working everywhere from grilled vegetables to pit fired beef and pork.
 There are a lot of preconceptions lumped under the moniker 'California Red Wine/Red Blend', hopefully we can break some of them with this wine. In most consumer's eyes the term stands for high volume wines that sell more for their branding than their contents, kind of boozy, and invariably have waaayyyy more residual sugar hiding in them than anyone would be willing to admit. Zinfandel is often a part of these blends and has gotten an (undeserved) reputation as the primary culprit. Treated correctly in the vineyards and the winery,many Zin producers have shown they can shave down the alcohol and extraction without losing any of the delicious character or complexity. They can even be made into wines that can be described as balanced and polished, elegant even. Maitre de Chai is a project started by two former restaurant professionals so their wine tastes obviously lean towards the more food-friendly styles, and this surprising blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache is their flagship. Deep red but not opaque in the glass, the aromas are a deviation from most Zin based wines showing lots of leather and dried spice at first, getting redder fruits as it opens along with some sweet tobacco. Even with a long decant the nose never gets opulent or intensive, more so fine-tuned and ever-changing with subtlety. The palate shows a little bit more of the Zinfandel ripeness and red berry fruit, but is tempered with some fine tannic structure and a savory background that gives everything a smoother texture into a slightly peppery finish. This is one of the least in-your-face expressions of a Zinfandel based wine you can come across, and may help renew some people's relationship with the grape.
|
The Best of the Best.We offering free tastings on these wines in the store every Thursday and Friday, and a 10% discount off the retail price through the duration of the day. Come on by and give them a try! Archives
May 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed