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Another interesting Ce Soir wine wine. The Chardonnay, from South of France opens as a new variation of terroir and vintage for me. I liked this as a clean simple fruity style and wondered about the oak. Why? There is a hint of oak but it is more a textural creaminess. I asked Marcus about this to be told that 30% was barrel fermented but the whole lot was aged on lees. It had a sort of granitic style terroir, earthy but with ripe peach and fig. A style of chardonnay that is simple and clean that provides a different aspect to a familiar varietal. If I was being critical I would suggest it was a little short.

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It’s 70% Shiraz and 30% Grenache, comes from Languedoc and is another interesting Ce Soir wine import jobby.

Opens with a little whiff of merd which fades away quickly as the juicy blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, dried herb and licorice aromas come to the fore. On the palate it’s medium bodied, well balanced and offers a dry chunky chewy and very satisfying mouthful with flavours of blackcurrant and herbs and a good dry finish. Rustic and thoroughly charming. Fans of Guigal CdR should find this pretty appealing.

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Another interesting wine from the portfolio of Ce Soir Wine Importers which is a blend of Cabernet 45%, Shiraz 30% and Grenache 25% from an organic producer in the Coteaux du Libron. I also tried their 2004 Merlot ($22) which smells delightful with an array of earth, blackcurrant, bramble fruit and plenty of black olive. It drinks beautifully and offers plenty of rustic interest although does lack weight and concentration on the palate (88 points).

Gorgeous to sniff with a mix of black fruit, earth, smoke, mineral and peppery notes. On the palate medium to full bodied with black fruit and raspberry, mineral and spicy meaty flavours. It has dry chalky tannins, a slightly metallic twang and fresh acidity - although it also feels a bit alkaline. Perhaps a little lacking in weight and length but the compensation is plenty of rustic charm, personality and good drinkability.

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It’s a life full of surprises all right. You would not expect to get much of a wine out of 100% Carignan, let alone one made out of a rare white mutation, but this is great - full of character and interest. The secret, as best I can tell, is that the yield from the 80 year old vines has been restricted to 15hl per hectare (about 800kg/acre) as opposed to the usual mad cropping levels for Carignan that can go as high as 200hl per hectare (about 11 tonne/acre). The Domaine is situated in the region of Coteaux du Libron, Languedoc and is run organically with no herbicides or pesticides employed. The fruit is also hand picked and this particular wine is whole bunch cold pressed with wild yeast fermentation in oak (50%) before 3 to 4 months ageing in oak. The remainder being fermented in tank then blended 3 months before bottling. Importer is marcus@cesoirwine.com

It smells a bit like orange seed cake with honeysuckle, apricot and spicy vanilla oak aromas. On the palate full bodied with a slippery glycerol texture, gentle acidity and a little warmth from alcohol - it’s balanced though, not flabby and feels pretty fresh. It has flavours of orange, apricot, cinnamon and licorice root and closes with a long slippery slide of pulpy yellow fruit and spice. Interesting and engaging - I’m quite taken with this.

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This comes from the Faugeres A.C. and is a blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre with a little Carignan. Enquiries for trade and stockists can be directed to marcus@cesoirwine.com who, it must be said, is doing a sterling job bringing such interesting wines into the country.

Sweet wild herb and lavender fragrance wafting over cherries, raspberries, ash and licorice. It’s a most particular and evocative smelling wine. On the palate medium bodied with cherry, sour raspberry, thyme and mineral flavours with very attractive clean clear acidity and fine dry lightly raspy tannins. Really fresh and exuberant. Finishes with a red fruit and dried herb aftertaste. A super wine that offers up a little holiday in a bottle.

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From the noblest vineyards of the Languedoc in the village of Aniane, midway between Montpelier and Beziers. A blend of 60% Syrah, 26% Carignan, 6% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Mourvedre.

Well I spotted this Vin de Pays at Langtons recently with a modest price estimate of $6-$8. So I had a punt at the bottom of the range and won 4 bottles. A rich red in colour. A ripe nose, and perhaps a little baked, with cherries, cola, cordial, a touch of garrigue and spice. The palate shows red fruits and old black pepper, but to be honest showed some abrasion. It has reasonable length, but lacks the depth of fruit to make it a convincing and appealing wine. Drink over the short term with some diverting conversation.

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This comes from the Faugères A.C. and (as far as I can work out) is a blend of two thirds Syrah, Mourvedre and a little Grenache. Enquiries for trade and stockists can be directed to marcus@cesoirwine.com

Bright cherry red. Aromas of dark fruit, cherry, pepper, licorice, smoke and sweet dried herbs. A little wild and rugged but very charismatic. On the palate medium bodied with black raspberry, cherry, dried herbs and spicy meaty peppery flavours. It has lively fresh acidity and fairly strong dry tannins - pleasantly rustic in an unruly but charming way. Finishes dry with smoke and licorice flavours. Take a walk on the wild side; this is a top drink that offers both refreshment and interest.

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This comes from the Faugères A.C. and is a blend of Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvedre with a little Carignan. Enquiries for trade and stockists can be directed to marcus@cesoirwine.com

Quite rich with dark fruit, sweet dried herbs, licorice, earth, ash and some pleasant animale overtones. On the palate medium to full bodied with cherry and dark berry fruit, dried herb, spice, mineral and earthy flavours. Quite dry chunky tannins with plenty of extract. It feels a little rustic but is also authentic and interesting. Finishes with spicy earthy flavours and firm tannins to close. I’d love to try this with a heaped plate of Cassoulet….

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This is a limited release for the Rugby World Cup. It comes in a heavyweight bottle with a textured raised print label and is closed with a screwcap. Good packaging. It is a blend of Cabernet and Merlot. I decided to have a little Frogs v Aussies match and put it up against a 2006 d’Arenberg Stump Jump GSM.

Aromas of forest berries, meat, dried herb and a little pepper. On the palate medium to full bodied with meaty bramble fruit, dried herb and spices. Very strong grippy tannins. Formidable. Not plump or soft. It’s as rugged as a French hooker but not without character and charm either. Finishes dry with a tannic twist and forest berry flavours. A good value wine to knock off with a BBQ and a bit of the old ‘kick and clap’ on the telly.

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This wine is listed on the Chapoutier website but I noted that the capsule has the names Corinne et Michel Chapoutier and Elva et Ron Laughton (of Jasper Hill) on it; it must be a joint venture of some sort, but I cannot find any mention of it. And yes, it is a slightly weird name, but the vineyards are located on the slopes in the upper reaches of the Agly valley. My wife actually read the label as the “Ugly Brothers”. Sheessssssh.

A blend of 60% Carignan, 20% Grenache and 20% Syrah. A masculine nose, a bit meaty, red and black cherries, and loincloth of goat hide. The palate showed lovely savoury red fruits, plums more than cherries, blackness, and again some animal hide. Soft tannins and a slippery mouthfeel make it terrifyingly drinkable.

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The nose is dry: cassia bark and dried spices, earth and red cherries. The palate is savoury, dried animal hide, sweaty leather, mushroom compost, quite savoury and earthy. It is a touch feral - it tastes a bit like mourvedre to me. There is some fruit there, but the dryness dominates: dried leather and pepper, dried lavender and herbs, woody and savouriness. There is some power on the palate, but lacks some plushness. The finish is drying too - I think I need a new thesaurus.

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Another selection from importer Old Bordeaux Wines. This time a rose made from 40% grenache, 30% carignan and 30% syrah. Just the ticket for a red hot Sydney afternoon. The cork looks like a Diam but has no branding on it.

Salmon pink. Aromas of red fruit and light florals. On the palate things take a turn for the worse with dry acetone like flavours and the barest hint of fruit. I don’t know whether the wine is past it’s best or this is just a poor bottle. It is drinkable but it’s going down the sink.

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The importer of this wine contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would like to taste a couple of his French imports. Does Depardieu have a grand nez? Too right I would as it makes for a very pleasant change in diet. This is a Vin de Pays de l’Herault from the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France. It’s 60% syrah, 26% carignan, 6% merlot, 4% cabernet sauvignon and 4% mourvedre.

Aromas of raspberry, dried herb and smoky coconut oak. On the palate this is medium bodied with red fruit, dried herb and earthy flavours. Dry and savoury with lightly raspy tannins and a dry herb and red fruit finish. Very refreshing and easy to drink. It’s a lovely week night wine. Very good with food and fairly priced.

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Went to Melb last night to see my Chiropractor so had Pizza with mates for dinner. This wine made an appearance. Loved the labelling and nothing much wrong with it either. The price is great too. Bone dry and didn’t have any of that evil grassy sauvignon blanc taste either. Just that it didn’t seem to have much taste full stop. Great for when you have those friends or family coming round who are very price conscious and who don’t appreciate fine wine. I mean it is Grand Final time!

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