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Marrow + Squash = Carignan/ Rouge Part Deux

Orlando blogs...

My good pal Sam came good again and dropped round another big bag of goodies from his seemingly endless giant allotment harvest. Marrows, squash, aubergine, onions, apples, tomatoes, beetroot and many cauliflower. So basically I have been existing on cauliflower cheese these last few days. Anyway, you know the drill. Allotment gifts = wine. Sadly for Sam, I was clean out of Rioja but thought I would give him something he hadn't tried before.....

....which inspires me to tell you about a lovely little gem we have in stock. Which just so happens to be one of our biggest online sellers. The delightful and affordable Mont Rocher Carignan.

So what is Carignan? Most people I speak to have never heard of it. Which is strange because up until 15 years ago it was France's (where it is mainly grown but can be found in the hotter parts of southern Europe) most planted grape variety. It still is only second to Merlot and has only fallen behind because of EU subsidies and red tape. Yawn.

The Carignan grape is prone to fairly high acidity and tannins (that dry bitterness sometimes tasted in rough red wine, worsened if you don't give red wine time to breathe before you gulp it down - see previous blog entry). However in older vines the acidity and tannins are more than offset by the fruit qualities of the grape. So our tip when choosing a good Carignan is to check to see if it is "old vine". Then you will more likely discover lovely characteristics of dark and black fruits, pepper, licorice, and spicy and savory accents.


So back to the Mont Rocher Carignan Vielles Vignes 2011.

  • Old Vine - check
  • Fruit and silky - check
  • Subtle spice - check
  • Balanced acidity and tannins - check!

Don't believe us? Well the judging panel at the 2013 Sommelier Wine Awards hung a gold medallion around the proud neck of this bottle. Also probably explains why one customer recently collected 8 cases to take back to London whilst he was in Birmingham on business.

Just £85 per 12 bottle case (a smidge over £7 per bottle) including tax and delivery to mainland England and Wales. A proper 'barignan' and you won't be disappointed.

Thank you for reading, until next time, Orlando.

 Mont Rocher Old Vine Carignan

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