Alderbrook Dry Creek Valley Carignane 4-Pack
$79.99 (Normally $152.60) 48% off List Price
2006 Carignane, Dry Creek Valley, School House Creek Vineyard
2007 Carignane, Dry Creek Valley, School House Creek Vineyard
CT links above
The only Carignane I have had was in the adequate gift which was a blend. Can someone describe a typical Carignane. Flavors, aromas, weight, etc.
I think of it as mid-weight. It’s normally used as a blending grape, although occasionally you’ll find some in the Rhone that are largely Carignane. I’d love to try this, but SIWBM dictates otherwise. The one I have form CA is actually Twisted Oak from the Twisted Freak pack of a year ago…but I’ve not popped one open yet.
From the Carignane I’ve tasted, I say it’s flavor profile is similar to Zinfandel (cherry, raspberry, strawberry). It can be quite tannic, though, and has deep color concentration; which is why it’s used in a lot of blends. It takes a good winemaker to bring the finesse of this varietal forward.
Very little if any new plantings of Carignane these days. I think it makes a beautiful deep red wine with nice briary characteristics. My grandfather tells of the days during prohabition when all the home winemakers wanted Zinfandel. He said they planted Zinfandel, Mataro (Mouvedra today) and Carignane. They shipped them in the rail cars east all as Zinfandel. This way they extended their selling season since they all ripen at different times. I’m in, be fun to have some in the cellar.
d.ago red?
I’d be happier if it were a 2 pack. If it’s not very good, it still costs $20/bottle.
I’ve found it has some overlap, but it pretty distinct. To my mind, it’s less briary than Zin (I don’t think I’ve ever had a strawberry Zin – I normally associate that flavor with Grenache), less concentrated and extracted, and more acidic.
It’s a wine I like, but rarely find alone or enough to be varietally-labeled, and shows very well from old vines. I think these will be drinking perfectly at these ages as well.
Oh, and in for one.
I had a bottle from a Twisted Oak woot a while back, and it was quite a hit with the Wife and I. Lovely fruit, not too bold, smooth drinker, went well with beef. I would hope this was as good!
Just a request for help from some of the long timers, how do you get refund/return product in the event the wine you receive is corked?
I have been having difficulties getting customer support for undrinkable wine I purchased here in September! This was an $80 purchase.
Think before you buy.
I haven’t had to do it lately but on one occasion the winery replaced the bottle.
Just to be clear, just because you don’t like the wine doesn’t mean it’s bad. I’m saying this because you’re last line is “Think before you buy.” If the bottle is defective (corked), thining before you bought would have done nothing. It’s also pretty unbeleivable that the entire order ($80, I’m assuming, was 3-5 bottles). If the wine is corked or cooked (from heat in travel), email support@woot.com.
Good day woot-ers. To answer some of the post aboot the Carignane… Phonic spelling- Karen-Yawn. It is , typically a blending grape that you would see blended in with varietals such as Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Syrah.
It is light in body like a Pinot Noir, but with a completely different flavor profile. You will get a good amount of tannin, red fruit such as deep cherry, and I like to tell people that if it is 100 degrees outside and you would still like to drink red wine, this is what you would open…
I have had only one shipment that was bad over the past few years that I have been buying from woot. Emailed support and they had the winery send out a replacement. It was fast and efficient. If support has not emailed you back, I’d send them another email and see what’s going on. You always have the option of disputing the credit card charge with your credit card company if you do not get a response from woot.
Well said up top. These Carignanes are old vine varietals, at around 55 years old from School house vineyard in Dry Creek, Sonoma County. We are also one of only a few wineries that make a full Carignane.
WTH,in for one. Next get together,I’ll a bottle to change up the regular fare. X
I remember Isabel Haigh back in the day, at Simi, telling customers to “be a man, drink Carignane” – and how she often required those who wanted to buy the 1935 Cabernet (at the then astronomical sum of $35 a bottle) to buy several bottles of Carignane for each bottle of the '35 they wanted.
She was a contemporary (more or less) of my father and they knew each other as kids.
Ok…I’m game…in for one
Perhaps poor wording by me, but the wine’s cork crumbled while opening. The wine was badly oxidized and undrinkable.
I realize that not everyone has your voluminous knowledge of wine, but I do have enough experience to know a bad wine when confronted with it. Thanks for your interest in my post.