Meeker 2005 Forchini Vineyard Carignane
Appellation: Dry Creek
ALC: 14.7%
Haydn gives this wine: 89pts
You can purchase this wine at: meekerwine.com

Ahh the elusive and often-times overlooked Carignane grape. It’s generally used for blending, often finding itself in Zinfandels, such as winemaker Doug Nalle. However you’ve probably never noticed it in that varietal unless you looked under the hood of the wine and dove into the wine notes. That’s due to the label requirements stating that a wine that is 75% or higher of a single grape can list it simply as a single varietal. There is nothing wrong with that, yet the little Carignane all of a sudden becomes that backup singer on stage who has a beautiful voice all to herself yet is overshadowed, and often not even acknowledged, when the band is introduced. That’s a Carignane.

Of course, such is the case with Meeker’s Carignane, except that it is Syrah, all 5% of it, that is hiding away in the notes (not the palate).

The wine has a unique smell on the nose— with subtle hints of spice and a bit of vanilla. It’s aromatic immediately upon pouring. Unfortunately it does fall off quite fast at the end, but let that not deter you from the upfront pleasantness. The wine displayed a pleasant acidity, which probably helps soften the Zinfandel when blending.

While you could drink this wine solo, it’s really meant to accompany a meal. A bit of tannins were looking for some meat. At the time I was having this wine, a bountiful amount of pork was being served. The lighter meat, such as pork, rabbit or turkey would be a wonderful compliment to this wine. It’s one of the lighter varietals and therefore is looking for a light co-conspirator. I originally ordered the pork having a Pinot Noir in my hand, and yet the enjoyment continued with the Carignane. The succulent juices of the slow cooked pork seemed to dance perfectly with the flavors of the Carignane. I imagine it was a tango they were trying out.

The price is a great deal. $20 for this guy. Better steal yet; for all those in the Santa Rosa area, drop into Bottle Barn. I found this beauty for the whopping price of $10. For around $20, this would be a beautiful wine to bring to a friend’s house for dinner. (The label alone will at least break the ice.) It’s a great starter due to it’s overall lightness (compared, say to a Syrah or a Cabernet) and an easy-to-appreciate varietal.

Cheers,
Haydn

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Haydn Adams is the author of the book, Wineries Beyond Napa Valley: Dry Creek and Alexander Valley, an insider’s tasting guide to the hidden gems region. He also contributes to the Beyond Napa Valley Wine Blog, writes for vinvillage.com, and can be found roaming the hills of Sonoma County looking for the next hidden gems. You can contact him at haydn@beyondnapavalley.com

Tags: Carignane, Dry Creek, Meeker Vineyards

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 3:05 pm and is filed under Carignane. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.