This week I opened bottles of two varieties I rarely have on their own. One that throws it down for natural while the other mumbles it's not ready for its closeup.
2007 Les Vignerons dEstezargues "Grandes Vignes" Ctes du Rhone
!00% cinsault. Pretty much "natural"(some sulfur at bottling). This rings the bright red fruited bell of brilliant clarity and deliciousness. Excels for $14.
2006 Jrme Calmes Carignan Vin de Pays des Coteaux de Peyriac "Les Terres Rouges"
100% carignan. Deeper, darker, tighter, mineral, but a bit muted or maybe just closed. This seems to be trapped by the wood it was made in. The comment to make here is that this needs time, but it could really just be a deathmatch struggle between the fruit that may be hiding here and the structural straightjacket it's currently wearing.
2007 Les Vignerons dEstezargues "Grandes Vignes" Ctes du Rhone
!00% cinsault. Pretty much "natural"(some sulfur at bottling). This rings the bright red fruited bell of brilliant clarity and deliciousness. Excels for $14.
2006 Jrme Calmes Carignan Vin de Pays des Coteaux de Peyriac "Les Terres Rouges"
100% carignan. Deeper, darker, tighter, mineral, but a bit muted or maybe just closed. This seems to be trapped by the wood it was made in. The comment to make here is that this needs time, but it could really just be a deathmatch struggle between the fruit that may be hiding here and the structural straightjacket it's currently wearing.