Carignan Very Old Vines 2003 Vin de Pays de L'aude France

Damn the French! I expected something better than this (Grade:D). Perhaps this was the dregs from a batch they decided to bottle and ship to us unsophisticated Americans. Little do they know. I’ll be taking Silenus’ advice: deglaze a pan with it.

The wine has a nice clear ruby color but a trifle pale. It could be getting a little long in the tooth for a vin ordinaire – aka red table wine. Some faint berry notes along with some spice can be noted but it’s not easy to discern what berries or what spice. It has a flat taste to go along with the lack of nose. In a word, it’s blah. A plus is few tannins to get in the way of the taste, what there is of it. It has a subdued balance and a short finish. Try a different wine.

Sacre’ Bleu! You would expect better from the French, where Bacchus found this bottle is a mystery and it should have been left to rot or used last year to deglaze a pan. Table wine should be drunk young and quick. Good with a lunch of bread and cheese, but never let the bottle gather dust.

– Silenus

Grade: D Price: $12

Wine Reviewed:
Carignan
2003
Vin de Pays De L’aude
France
Alcohol Content: 12.5% by Volume.
750ml