Carignane

This comes from southwestern Sardinia and is made from the Carignan grape.  The name Buio means dark.  The wine is a deep garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, some black raspberries along with salinity and wild thyme.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate this has black cherries with roasted herbs, char and some minerality.  Good finish.  This is nice on its own but better with food.  It worked nicely with a selection of cheeses and olives.  Drink over the next few years.  

This is 100% Carignan from Priorat on the east coast of Spain.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, spice, anise and slight char.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is a big wine.  Medium tannins.  Loads of cherry fruit with underlying char and anise.  Good balance.  Long finish.  This is delicious.  It should get better with a few more years of ageing, but either way, it should drink well for the next twelve to fifteen years.  Great on its own, this needs big food such as roasted lamb.  

Another nice value play from Kermit Lynch.  A blend of 60% Carignan, 30% Grenache Noir,  and 10% Syrah.  Purple in color with ruby swirls.  Mostly clear and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, slight earthy note and black pepper.  Medium bodied.  Nice acidity.  On the palate, the black cherries come thru.  Some depth.  Light tannins.  Good finish.  This is a tasty wine that drinks fine on its own but works better with hearty food.  It went great with a vegetarian chili.  Drink this over the next five to seven years.  

This is 100% Carignane from one hundred year old vines.  Inky purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose shows black cherries, graphite while having a clean earthiness.  On the palate, lots of black raspberry fruit with some black cherries.  Nice texture.  Drinks well right now and should continue to do so for ten to fifteen more years.  It may still improve a bit as it matures.  This drinks very well on its own and will work with grilled or roasted meats and fowl.  

Another wine from Alavaro Palacios, one of the wineries credited (rightly so) with the rejuvenation of Priorat.  This is a blend of 55% Garnacha, 44% Cariñena (Carignan), with a "pinch" (1%) White Grapes.  Purple in color with ruby swirls, opaque and bright.  The nose has nice black cherry fruit with dust and spices.  The black cherry fruit comes thru to the palate with an underlying char and slate/minerals.  Nice texture.  Good finish.  This wine is young and may improve a bit but either way should drink well for another ten to twelve years.  This will work with a wide range of foods from

This is a blend of Grenache, Carignan and Syrah.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  Tasted among a variety of Priorat wines, this was significantly lighter in color with more ruby than purple tones.  The nose is nice with raspberries, cherries and spice. Medium bodied.  Lighter on the palate as well with notes of black cherries and cherries.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is ready to drink now and should drink well for three to five more years.  It will work well with stews or chili.  

The D vs G stands for David versus Goliath.  This is a blend of Shiraz, Marselan, Carignan, and Petite Sirah.  Purple in color with a thin ruby rim.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, spice and slight tobacco.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the black raspberries come thru over a gravel base.  Moderate acidity.  Right now, the Carignan and Shiraz dominate the blend but the Petite gives it a nice backbone.  It will be interesting to see how it ages.  This drinks nicely on its own and will work well with grilled meats or fowl.  

This is a blend of 48% Carignan, 46% Grenache and 6% Syrah.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is warm with nice cherry fruit.  On the palate, this is medium bodied.  slightly silky texture.  The palate has cherry fruit with a bit or herbal notes underneath.  There is warmth on the finish.  This drink ok on its own and would work with burgers or stews.  

Chateau Musar is one of the great wineries of the world.  Add to that the idea of making wine in Lebanon and its even more remarkable.  This wine is outstanding.

This is 75% Mourvèdre, 14% Grenache, 9% Cinsault, and 2% Carignan.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose is tight.  Dusty with black cherries.  On the palate, this has a wonderful glycerin texture but is tight as a drum.  Not much fruit today.  Some slightly bitter notes.  With air some black cherries come out.  Shorter finish.  This keeps getting better with air so if drinking soon, give it a few hours in a decanter.  Better to wait five to ten more years on it.  All that said, it's perhaps harsh as the overall experience is still very pleasing.  It will need big food today to pair