Another Preston from the cellar, this time the Carignane from 2003 (although the web notes are for 2004).
Carignane is a tricky grape; it can make pretty mediocre wine if not grown carefully. It is often blended with other Rhone varietals. Preston's notes indicate the care that they take with the grape:
Carignane has a reputation for large crops--that's why early farmers planted it. But treated with respect, sensitivity, and conservative production practices this grape makes wines of sophistication, complexity and power. Our vines look like small trees, tall with upreaching arms, and are trained the old way--no trellis wires. Crops are small, partly due to the age of the vines, partly the devigorating clay soils, partly to our severe pruning that favors canopy growth over fruit production.
The nose of the 2003 starts subdued, basically tannin and alcohol. Over time as it opened up, the nose got more tree-like (i.e., vegetal but not grassy) and smoky.
The taste upon first opening was well-balanced, not too acidic at all, with nice red fruit. In the fruit cherry was dominant but not the only fruit note. There was also a perfumey floral note in the taste that diminished over time. It had a dry, nice aftertaste with tannin. As it opened up the fruit diminished over time.
We drank it with lamb, which brought out a smoky mustiness in the taste. After we finished eating, the fruit flavors were richer and more subdued, more like dried fruit than fresh fruit. The tannin and acid characteristic of the varietal were still present.
As with the other quirky varietals at Preston, they grow the grapes and make the wine with great care, resulting in an unusual, interesting, and good wine.
