Tag Archives: carignan

Wine of the week: Mont Gravet Carignan 2020

mont gravet carignan
Mont Gravet Carignan 2020/$10-$12

Consider this an ode to one of the great cheap red wines of all time

This wine has been reviewed on the blog five times, with nary a cross word. Sometimes, it’s not as amazing as at other times, but it’s always worth drinking, always a fine value, and has always cost around $10.

So it’s no wonder the Mont Gravet Carignan ($12, purchased, 12.5%) is a wine of the week yet again. The 2020 vintage of this French red is as it always is — simple but not stupid, professional, and a stunning value in an age when a fancy label and a slick marketing campaign add $10 to the cost of a very ordinary bottle.

Carignan is usually a blending grape, but can make terrific varietal wines with the proper care. Which would be here — berries and cherries, maybe some spice, soft tannins, not too much acidity, and a front, middle, and a back. Think about that for a moment. How many $20 wines have you tasted that are overwhelmed by too much fruit or sugar or whatever?

And, let’s get this out of the way: Is it sweet? It is tart? Is it jammy? No!!!! (and yes, I meant to use all of those exclamation points.)

Highly recommended, and certain to return to the Hall of Fame next year. Chill this a touch if you want (ice cubes, even), and drink it with any late summer barbecue or fall casserole if and when the weather gets cooler.

Imported by Winesellers Ltd.

 

Wine of the week: Two Birds One Stone 2019

Two Birds One Stone bottle
Two Birds One Stone 2019/$10-$12

Cheap French red wine that’s worth drinking – who knew it still existed?

I tasted the 2018 version of this wine last summer, and was impressed. It wasn’t quite wine of the week material, but it reminded me of the kind of everyday red wine that was common not all that long ago.

And, of course, no longer is.

So get out the debit cards, Bitcoin, and even cash — because the Two Birds One Stone 2019 ($10, purchased, 12.5%) is wine of the week material. It’s a fruitier and more polished effort than the 2018, and a noticeable step up in quality.

The wine is made with carignan, usually used for blending. That’s because the grape can be difficult to work with as a varietal since it has lots of tannins and acidity. These were noticeable in the 2018 (the wine geek term for the result is “rustic”), but are well under control in the 2019. In fact, it’s dark and deep in flavor, with lots of almost syrah-style black fruit and a finish that reminds me of the legendary Mont Gravet Carignan.

Drink this – and you can even chill it – with almost any summer roast, beef or chicken. There is apparently a 2020, but I haven’t seen it or tasted it.

Imported by Wine Circle Imports

 

Wine of the week: Mont Gravet Carignan 2019

mont gravet carignan
Mont Gravet Carignan 2019/$8-$13

This vintage of the Mont Gravet is another in a long line of outstanding cheap red French wine

This is the fifth vintage of the Mont Gravet carignan to appear on the blog, and the worst thing I can say about this French red is that the wine is so spot on for what we do here that I tend to take it for granted.

Which, given all the plonk in the world, is pretty stupid.

So know that the Mont Gravet Carignan 2019 ($10, purchased, 12.5%) is almost as well done as the legendary 2015 – a vintage so amazing that it even impressed a group of highly cynical, “we’ve seen it all” attendees at a seminar at an American Wine Society conference.

What does all of that mean in terms of the 2019? First, know that carignan, as a grape, isn’t especially fruity, and is usually used for blending. That it works so well as a varietal in this case speaks to the commitment of the company behind Mont Gravet. Second, that if you’re expecting a rich, full, ripe wine, this isn’t it. Which, to me, is part of its charm.

Look for some black fruit (figs, even?), some earth, and some spice. Somehow, despite is age and price, it’s still fresh and alive. Highly recommended, and sure to return to the Hall of Fame in 2022, as well as to be considered for the 2022 Cheap Wine of the Year.

Imported by Winesellers, Ltd.

Wine of the week: Mont Gravet Carignan 2018

Mont Gravet CarignanThe Mont Gravet Carignan offers value and quality and interest – impressive in any wine, and even more so for $10

This vintage of the Mont Gravet Carignan, a red wine from France, isn’t as amazing as the 2015, which was one of the great cheap wines of all time. But that doesn’t mean the 2018 isn’t a terrific cheap wine.

Because it is. The Mont Gravet Carignan 2018 ($10, purchased, 12%) is everything a great $10 wine should be – professionally made, varietally correct, and interesting. Why interesting?

• It’s not tannic, but it’s not the kind of “smoooooth” wine that a focus group would approve of.

• It’s made with carignan, usually used for blending. So it doesn’t taste like cabernet sauvignon, merlot or pinot noir. Which is OK, since it’s not supposed to.

• It’s both food friendly (burgers and fajitas) and something to drink when you feel like a glass of red wine. That just doesn’t happen much any more.

Look for berry fruit, not quite brambly and not too much of it, plus a little bit of earth (one of my favorite things about this wine every vintage). The  smidgen of tannins and acidity make the wine complete. Highly recommended, and should return to the Hall of Fame in 2021.

Imported by Winesellers, Ltd.

Wine of the week: Mont Gravet Carignan 2017

mont gravet carignanThe Mont Gravet carignan is professional and terroir-driven cheap wine

The 2015 Mont Gravet carignan was one of the great cheap wines of all time, on a par with the legendary black Jaja de Jau and the Hogue fume blanc. The 2016 version was quality cheap wine, if not quite the 2015. The 2017, though, is almost as terrific as the 2015 was.

That’s because the current vintage of the French Mont Gravet carignan ($10, sample, 12.5%) is more earthy and interesting than the 2016. In other words, this red from the south of French (made with the carignan grape) displays vintage difference. How often do we see that in $10 wine?

The 2017 has less ripe red fruit, as well as more structure and acidity than the 2016. In addition, look for some spice, the tiniest hint of vanilla (from oak staves in steel tanks – fake oak as it should be done), and a clean and refreshing finish. Would that more cheap wine was this professional and terroir-driven.

Highly recommended, and should return to the Hall of Fame in 2019. This is red wine for grilled vegetables, burgers and sausages on the barbecue, and even something like smoked pork shoulder.

Imported by Winesellers Ltd.

Wine of the week: Mont Gravet Carignan 2016

mont gravet carignanThe Mont Gravet carignan is once again quality cheap wine – balanced, fresh, and enjoyable

The 2015 Mont Gravet carginan was an exceptional cheap wine, one of the best I’ve tasted in more than two decades of doing this. The 2016 isn’t quite what that was, but it’s still $10 Hall of Fame quality.

The Mont Gravet carignan ($9, sample, 13%) is a French red, and carignan is a little known grape used mostly for blending and to make jug wine. It’s considered inferior to other red grapes, and even Cellar Tracker users don’t think much of it – too light, too insubstantial, and not manly enough.

Here, though, carignan shows off, producing a varietal wine that is impeccably made, balanced, and fresh. It’s not overripe or too rough, which is usually the case with cheap wines made with lesser known grapes.

The main difference between the 2016 and the 2015 is that the former is fruitier (blackberries?) and less rustic and earthy. That makes it more modern in style and a little less interesting. But that’s a critic’s complaint, and no reason not to buy the wine and enjoy it.

This is summer red wine – sipping on the porch, drinking with burgers, barbecue, and even smoked chicken. Highly recommended.

Imported by Winesellers Ltd.

Wine of the week: Mont Gravet Carignan Vieilles Vignes 2015

Mont Gravet CarignanLet’s not waste any time – the Mont Gravet carignan is the best cheap red wine I’ve tasted since the legendary and too long gone Osborne Solaz. To quote my notes: “This cheap French red couldn’t be any better and still be cheap.”

What makes the Mont Gravet carignan ($10, purchased, 12.5%) so wonderful? It’s not dumbed down for the so-called American palate. It’s varietally correct, not easy to do with a blending grape like carignan. It tastes of terroir, not common in $10 wine. I tasted this wine over and over, looking for flaws, because that’s what the Wine Curmudgeon does. I couldn’t find any.

What will you find? An earthy and fruity (blackberry?) wine, with a welcoming, almost figgy aroma, acidity that sits nicely between the fruit and the earthiness, and just enough tannins to do the job. It’s everything you could want in $10 wine – or $15 wine, for that matter. This is the kind of the the $10 Hall of Fame was made for.

Finally, a word about the importer, Winesellers Ltd., and the tremendous job it does finding great cheap wine. I recommend the company’s wines a lot, and that I have to find a retailer who has them and pay for them, as opposed to getting a sample, isn’t an obstacle. These are wines I buy not just to review, but to drink.

Wineseller looks for producers who care about the same things that I do – quality, value, and making wine that is distinctive and reflects where it came from. How many others do that, let alone for $10 wine?