A very fine country wine

Nathalie & Co

Syrah Carignan 2007

Vine de Pays du Gard

Co-op £6.99

In these receessionary times £6.99 is a relatively steep price to pay for what, by French wine classifcation terms, is nothing more than a country wine.

However, Nathalie Estribeau, who is based in Montpelier but has made wines all over the world, hales from a wine-making family in Bordeaux so this wine does come with some very reassuring provenance and the additional cachet of winning a Gold Medal in the Top 100 Vin de Pays wines of France.

After a more fraught than usual Friday evening (balancing hospital vists to Ruth, trying to find a half decent fish and chip shop and then checking Mrs W's soon-to-be 88 year old dad had been put to bed by his carers), we sat down to this unusual bottle of wine with mixed expressions of relief and bewilderment - not so much at the wine, but more at the events of the past three hours.

So, to be fair to Mme Estribeau we were not greeting this excellently crafted wine with the calm reverence it deserved. And I think we'd also made the mistake in not allowing it to sufficiently breathe on this damp and dingy evening. That said, Harry senior's house is not too dissimilar in temperature to a sauna so this should have been no problem.

Anyway, after the tensions of the evening, my first glug was borne purely out of medical need rather than considered appreciation but the second tasting was definitely more reflective and proved to be extremely pleasing. Not having tasted the Carignan grape variety before this was a good opportunity to see how it sat along the more familiar Syrah. The Carignan grape is a bit of a naughty so and so, particularly in the European wine growing industry, as its propensity for producing high yields have given it a less than favourable reputation for contributing to the European wine lake. For all this grief, it's also quite a demanding grape to grow - requiring a hot warm climate, yet remains vulnerable to various forms of mildew as well as grape worms.

Not content with these significant issues, Carignan is also naturally high in acidity, tannins and astringency which means that you wouldn't want to try and produce a single grape wine with this variety and expect to win wine friends and influence wine people. The reason I'm telling you all this is that the bottle that sat before us is a testament to Mme Estribeau's exceptional wine making skills. Choosing a tricky grape as the main player in a Vin de Pays wine like this shows outstanding gallic nerve and determination - however, her confidence and bravado has paid off with a ballsy wine that clearly shows she has got this tricky little beast under control. Drinking this Carignan and Syrah blend over two nights revealed a real complexity and sophistication that you wouldn't ordinarily expect from a standard Vin de Pays. The wine balances its big personality with fine sensibilities; it makes a big entrance but knows how to behave once its made its way in to the room.

That said this is no standard Vin de Pays, it really is a stunning fine wine that could trip up an experienced wine buff in determinining its provenance. In terms of taste it offers layers of deep berry fruit with hints of spice delivered through firm but silky tannins. It's a bold and confident wine that smells old but tastes new and, although I hate to use this word, shows supreme competence.

This is a tough act to pull off with such a feisty old grape and on my third glass (on the second night of drinking) reminded me of my old grape friend Zinfandel. The only down-side was the slightly up-scale price which, while arguably well deserved, puts this ordinary country red into the price band of grander wines. Even so, it was worth £7 (minus a penny) to discover this tricky little Carnignan varietal on a wet November evening.

Decent Wine: 9/10

Probability of Buying Again: 8/10 (just tweak the price by 99p)

Dinner Party Appeal: 9/10 (Great looking bottle and something different to talk about)