I know it is 'only' Vin de Pays - but this is where Languedoc wine becomes interesting, these guys don't follow the rules - the wine they make does not fit the laws laid down by the local appellation, they do what they think works - and does it ? YES !
The grapes come from old Carignan vines ( Lo Vielh ) planted in 1911, they are planted near the Brian river and this is the VdP - Cotes de Brian, near the village of St Jean de Minervois ( a village known for its sweet dessert wines made from the Muscat grape ).The wine growers are John and Nicole Bojanowski, and they have 8ha of vines and they make the wine next to their house in the village.
The wine comes in at £15 - when you can find it ( we bought it at Underwoods near Warwick ) after tasting it one evening there. I am not normally a great lover of Carignan, I often find it harsh, over alcoholic and with little enjoyable body, well let me tell you this is different, the old vines and some barrel ageing, careful winemaking really serve up a fabulous wine after a little breathing time.
Peering into the glass you see the colour is not too deep, ruby colour with a few garnet tints at the wide rim, and those slow legs dribbling down the glass after you have swirled hint at the alcohol and the silky mouth feel.
The aromas coming from the glass are of old smokey spice with red fruits ( cranberry, cherry) and there is a hint of ginger and brewed tea, it has an elegant perfumed quality and has lots of layers of interest - making the tasting even more interesting.
And yes everything on the nose comes through in your mouth, the layered fruits, spice, smoke, tea and a slight citric finish which is pleasant and medium in length, the structure is strong but silky, the tannins are ripe and velvety and the silky mouth coating sensation from the quite high alcohol ( 13.5%) makes you want another mouthful - so yes I liked it.... alot, and it made me rethink the 'I don't like carignan' comment!
The aromas coming from the glass are of old smokey spice with red fruits ( cranberry, cherry) and there is a hint of ginger and brewed tea, it has an elegant perfumed quality and has lots of layers of interest - making the tasting even more interesting.
And yes everything on the nose comes through in your mouth, the layered fruits, spice, smoke, tea and a slight citric finish which is pleasant and medium in length, the structure is strong but silky, the tannins are ripe and velvety and the silky mouth coating sensation from the quite high alcohol ( 13.5%) makes you want another mouthful - so yes I liked it.... alot, and it made me rethink the 'I don't like carignan' comment!
The tannins are soft and this hints that you should think of drinking this in the next year or so, the fruits are present but not ripe fresh fruit but mellowed and integrated - so again - drink this up!
Thanks for the happy words about our old carignan ! Lo Vielh is 101 years old, but I'm convinced that the carignan is elegant because it's ripe, not just because it's so old. It's a grape on the march !
ReplyDeleteJohn
Thankyou for your comments - and yes I am sure you are right - it really made me rethink Carignan. The fruit was ripe and juicy but so well made - Thankyou!
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