Carignane

This is 100% Carignan from the south of France.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, some cherries, spice and dust.  Light bodied.  Thin texture.  Good acidity.  On the palate, flavors of black cherries.  Moderate finish.  This is much better with food and went well with a Spinach and Artichoke dip, not an easy pairing.  It would be better with a big plate of pasta with some type of tomato sauce.  Drink over the next five years.  

This is 100% Carignan grapes from vines planted in 1955 in the South of France.  Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has cherries, some black cherries, cedar and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, thin cherries with some earthiness.  Moderate finish.  This is interesting in that the wine seems to have heft but the overall impression of fruit and complexity is on the thin side.  It certainly improves with some food.  This would work with Pasta in a tomato based sauce.  Drink now.  

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.