On the nose fruity and spicy, with pepper and black-/mulberries dominating the aroma. In the mouth a medium body, well balanced and with a fairly long fruity and pleasant, although prickly and drying, finish.
Even though Carignan (Cariñena in Spain) is most commonly used for blending, in the Carignano del Sulcis DOC is made as varietal. The Riserva, like this one produced by Cantina Santadi, undergo two years of ageing, of which at least six months must be spent in the bottle.
Carignan is considered a very old grape variety, which most likely originated in the Aragon region of northwest Spain. It was supposedly introduced to Sardinia during the rule of the Spanish house of Aragon, between the early fourteen and the early eighteenth Century.
At some point the grape also reached Algeria, where it gained prominence as a workhorse variety that was widely exported to add color and weight to French wine blends.
After the phylloxera epidemic devastated French vineyards in the mid to late 19th century, plantings of Carignan grew in popularity on the French mainland as well and increased even more upon Algeria’s independence in 1962, when the supply of Carignan wine to France was cut off and growers in Southern France began to plant the vine for their own production.
The grape’s prominence in France hit a high point in 1988 when it was France’s most widely planted grape variety. That year, in a drive to increase the overall quality of European wine and to reduce the growing wine lake phenomenon, the European Union started an aggressive vine pull scheme, where vineyard owners were offered cash subsidies in exchange for pulling up their vines. Out of all the French vine varieties, Carignan has been the most widely affected by this European policy.
Despite the questionable history of the Carignan grape, whose popularity was largely tied to its ability to produce very large yields, I find this Rocca Rubia Riserva 2015, which sells for 17 EUR, a very pleasant red wine: definitely worth trying.
Country: Italy
Region: Sardinia
Grapes: Carignan
Type: Red
Vintage: 2015
Producer: Cantina Santadi
Price range: Medium (15-30 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 4/5