Lascar Carmenere 2013

My first taste of this grape variety. I read that '"Carménère" originates from the French word for crimson (carmin)' and was once grown as a blending grape in Bordeaux, as per modern day Petit Verdot.

I took a gamble on this primarily on its price (£5.75) and the positive comments from Wine Society members on their site.

What it does have in common with some Bordeaux is the nose: distinct pencil lead and earthy fruit. In fact, it smells a lot better than it tastes, although the pallet itself is decent enough: bramble, earth, medium body. Very respectable given the absurdly low price. 

Why it is mainly grown in Chile rather than France? Apparently it never recovered from Phylloxera in France. Chilean growers thought they were growing a variant of Merlot until 1994! It would be interesting to taste this alongside a 100% merlot to see if similarities are obvious.  

Domaine de l' Arjolle

A claret-like blend (Cabernet Saugivnon-Merlot) from near Pezenas (Cotes de Thongue - there are seemegly no restrictions on grapes variety here?). This certainly had more of a Bordeaux/Stellenbosch feel to it than a classic Languedoc. At £7.50 (WS) it invites comparison with Chateau Canada. It has a decent amount of cedar-mess and leathery-ness and some accessible fruit up front. It seems good value to me. Could this, together with areas like Stellenbosch, be arguments against the influence terroir? Perhaps you can only scale the heights of the claret experience in Bordeaux but others certainly seem to be going well in the foothills.....

Jordan, 2010 Stellenbosch

Parkin or ginger on the nose? An earthy, satisfying offering. Held up very well after being opened 4 days ago. Dry, leathery fruit. £8 (majestic) represents good value and further proof that this region is performing for better than bordeaux using the same varietal blends at much cheaper prices.