2016 Carignan Prima
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Tasting notes
Very attractive and suave nose with toasty oak and fresh berries, leading to a plush and neatly arrayed palate with ample, deep-set tannins and good ripeness. Second label of Château Carignan. Try from 2022.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Light, sweet oaky nose. Not very refreshing and pretty light. (JR)
The 2016 Carignan - Prima is an ambitious 100% Merlot from proprietor Andy Lench and consultant Louis Mitjaville. Plush, forward and racy, the 2016 hits the palate with serious richness and intensity. The new oak needs time to integrate, but the wine appears to have more than enough depth and overall richness for that to happen. Readers should expect a flamboyant, opulent style. There is much to like here.
The 2016 Carignan Prima felt just a tad overdone on the nose with cassis and blueberry fruit that need to muster more delineation. The palate is very smooth on the entry, given a sheen by the vanilla new oak that renders this Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux very seductive, but perhaps expresses more of the winemaking than the terroir. Let's see how this performs in barrel.