As I was on my way to the Rhone Valley to meet my colleague, Senior Editor Stuart Pigott, to begin tasting Rhone wines for our annual report on the region, I stopped by a wine cellar in Provence. The owner had recently added bottles of some new winemakers to his collection, and one label in particular caught my attention: the Cassagne et Vitailles Carignan Vin de France Nimalaya Vieux Carignan 2019.
I discovered this winery last year while tasting their range of wines, which are mostly from Languedoc, but a few bottles, like the Nimalaya, are simply labeled as “Vin de France.” The quality of this relatively new winery is quite remarkable, and their style modern, as they have opted for elegance and finesse in their wines.
This old carignan is restrained and agile, yet it has texture, complexity and vibrancy. It’s also highly drinkable, with an alcohol content of 13.5 percent and fresh acidity. This style of wine is becoming more and more popular all over the world, but it’s not easy to make. Balancing and maintaining the complexity of such a wine so as to excite wine lovers’ taste buds while retaining elegance and low alcohol is no easy task, but Cassagne et Vitailles pulls it off here.
Once the word is out about such offerings, they quickly become hard to find, and prices tend to rise, so I’m going to continue to grab and enjoy such bottles every time they come across my path.
– Kevin Davy, Tasting Manager
