2019 Domaine of the Bee Carignan
- Retail
- £22.50
- Member
- £18.00
- Case
- £135.00
- Case (Member)
- £108.00
- Varieties
- Carignan
- Vintage
- 2019
- Country
- France
- Region
- Roussillon
- Alcohol
- 14.44%
- Bottle size
- 750 mL
- Description
Pure Carignan from the 80+ year old La Roque vineyard at Domaine of the Bee. Low yielding, concentrated and vibrant.
- Eyes
A vibrant bright purple red
- Nose
Fresh, bright cherry and fruits of the forest, with a hint of marzipan
- Mouth
Lifted, and energetic black cherry and bramble compote, with the barest hint of spicy cloves. There's an underlying slatey power, and a deliciously mouthwatering finish.
- Body
full
- Winemaking Notes
From a one hectare vineyard of 80+ year-old Carignan vines. Bush vines are hand-tended, and shoot removal and green harvesting ensure a very well balanced crop of fully ripe grapes. Hand harvested into small baskets and destemming without crushing to allow some intra-cellular fermentation to release colour prior to the full alcoholic fermentation. Slow temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel and a couple of 500L barrels before gentle pressing, and maturation in 2 x 500L barrels one 2 years old, and one 4 years old. No eggs or dairy used.
- Growing Conditions
After a very dry, but not especially cold winter, spring began early, and was extremely dry, until flowering season, which was damp and warm. The temperature soared in June, with a late June day topping out at 42 degrees, the rest of the summer was ideal - warm temperatures, an occasional rain to keep the vines healthy. This year harvest season was marked by two or three significant rainfall events, which made choosing the picking date a little complicated, but early October was dry, and we picked between the 3rd and 11th in good conditions.
- Food Pairing
Carignan is especially good with charcuterie and wild boar sausage, but it also pairs well with grilled lamb, and most barbequed meats.
Reviews
Richard Hemming MW
JancisRobinson.Com - Professional
JancisRobinson.com
July 29, 2021 23:00Black cherry on the nose, leather and fennel giving complexity on the palate. Firm tannins with charming rusticity. Liquorice and chocolate on the finish. I love the uncompromising classic character here. (RH)
17
Tamlyn Currin
JancisRobinson.com - Professional
jancisrobinson.com
May 27, 2021 8:00It smells of smoked charcuterie, Tellicherry peppercorns, jazz on a hot heavy-moon night. It’s moody, broody, piquant, a defiant glint in its eye. It’s old Roussillon Carignan – you’d expect the tannins to be tough as boot leather, something you’d hand to a bullfighter. But those tannins have the supple give and cling of moleskin and the fruit has a wonderful smoky chipotle sweetness. Nothing tough about this. But it does have a long life ahead of it, and if you can put it away, it will be worth it. (TC)
17
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