Beautiful Carignan

Published: November 15, 2012

"In a 'terroir' cut like a suit, Carignan has changed its clothes: fruit and grape, rather than veg and grape." Interesting remark, by the growers of this wine: Jean-Louis Poudou. But he's got a point: with Marie-Claude Poudou, Jean-Louis has pulled off a cracker: a fruit-filled oak-free powerful mouthful of superlative wine. Superlative: now there's a word. But anyone who drinks wine, thinks they understand it, and fine powerful wines that, within a couple of glasses, become oak, or leather, or sugar, superlative is a hard word to find.

But this wine is superlative, and for a few reasons. First, it's delicious. Second, it's delicious. And third, it's not bad at all.

AND it's at a good price (around 6 euros a bottle, crikey!).

So, what is it? Carignan is from Coteaux de Peyriac, basically, a Languedoc wine from the south-west Mediterranean side. That is already a recommendation right there: think about it, not Bordeaux, not Rhone, not Spanish, yet south! The website says Minervois, but it is far better than that. Actually, if you like Italian, strong, fruity and long, mixed with a bit of subtle French poetry, then Carignan is your man. Or your poet.

I could easily start into a bullshit tasting description for you but here's the situation: I bought a Carignan 2011 for 6 euros something, so let's say 7, in an independent shop in Paris. I had also bought other more expensive, well-known wines at the same time. The Carignan leaves them all behind.

Okay, how to describe it: Big dark red fruits (probably plums, figs, round stuff); NO OAK (or not in the mouth, which is what I care about). And LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

Also hand-picked (sounds nice). What is key here is that the couple that makes it sound decent, and it shows in the wine.

Chapeau (hats off) to Jean-Louis and Marie-Claude. Santé.

©Rory

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