Delved into my stash last night to try:
1. Donkey&Goat Carignane OakVllyVnyd/AlexVlly (U; 14.2%; 70 cs; 120 yr old vines) 2009: Very dark color; very strong black cherry/Carignan/licorice somewhat perfumed/aromatic light/toasty/oak nose; somewhat tart slight earthy strong black cherry/Carignan/very spicy light toasty/oak slightly hard/tannic/rough flavor; med.long black cherry/Carignan light toasty/oak slight earthy/licorice/pungent finish; a rather pretty wine for a good price. $20.00
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A wee BloodyPulpit:
1. Not a big fan of Carignane. I find they're often on the acid side and frequently on the rough/coarse/tannic side. Not only Calif, but Languedoc and Spain as well. Probably my favorites are the Ridges. They promise a lot from age...but I've not had many that I'd say knocked my sox off. The Ridge folks think they're not particularly good agers and should be drunk young. They have a profile a bit like Dolcetto (tart/tanic/rough) that promises good aging potential, bt seldom delivers on those promises. Probably the best Carignane I've had was a '70/'71 that DavidBruce made from MaryCarter's vnyd in Gilroy. Probably it was just the 16% alc though.
This D&G Cariignane was actually a rather pretty wine, that I liked quite a bit. Maybe a yr or two will benefit it?? It was one of the most pure expressions of Carignane (as least as I understand Carignane..only tasted maybe about a 100 or so) I can recall. Quite a nice change-of-pace wine I thought.
Tom