Wine of the week: Mont Gravet Carignan Vieilles Vignes 2015

by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On

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?

6 thoughts on “Wine of the week: Mont Gravet Carignan Vieilles Vignes 2015”

  • By Randy Brooks -

    And where did you find this gem?

    • By Wine Curmudgeon -

      Central Market in Dallas, so it should be at any of the Central Markets in Texas.

      But the importer has also has one of those search widgets — http://www.winesellersltd.com/buy-best-wine.html

      • By Israel -

        Just picked up a bottle at CM in Houston last night; ran across your review this morning. Can’t wait to try it.

  • By Randy Brooks -

    I thought that might be why you mentioned the importer, but after I searched Total, Specs and GoodyGoody, I got thirsty and opened some Rene Barbier

    • By Wine Curmudgeon -

      I mentioned the importer because it does such a good job. Plus, the blog’s readership is worldwide, and mostly not in Texas.

      • By Winesellers, Ltd. -

        Thanks Wine Curmudgeon! We’re glad you enjoyed the Carignan from Mont Gravet. We can’t get enough of it either!

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