Every once and awhile, you come across a wine you know NOTHING about. You look at the label in a total dumbfounded stupor. What in the world is Carignan? Its hardly ever found in restaurants, and similarly buried in wine shops. So why is this winemaker taking the time to produce such an under-the-radar wine? I think its a combination of
1. A Challenge 2. An urge for Creativity 3. Faith in the unknown. If you can find these traits in a winemaker, you're bound to find a hidden gem.
Today I met Alex MacGregor, the winemaker of Saracina & Atrea wines. He poured a lineup of 3 of his current releases: A sauvignon blanc, zinfandel, and petit sirah. All three were outstanding but nothing too edgy, with the zin being the most balanced and best of show on this particular day. But THEN, he brought out a bottle of his secret stash; a side project not affiliated with the winery called "TRINAFOUR" (with a sweet plaid label). This wine is comprised of 100% organically grown Carignan [CARE-IN-YAWN] a native Spanish grape.
This wine was such a great surprise. Having little knowledge about it, I didn't know what to expect. This wine is considered a 'blending grape', used in conjunction with more noble grapes to support a blend. What you get in a well made 100% carignan like this one is a medium bodied wine with ripe red fruit, lavender and thyme notes integrated with a juicy raspberry and Bing cherry core. Kaitlin and I looked at each other with an "OH! This is fabulous!"..."We could totally drink this with dinner!" It was surprisingly unique and quite delicious all alone without cabernet or syrah to sweep in and steal its thunder.
I love this project and the experimentation by the winemaker. It is so refreshing to try something totally new for a change...
Cheers to delicious surprises and our new friend, Carignan.
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