2006 Mas Conscience, Le Cas, Vin de Pays de l'Hérault

Those in search of the essence of old vine Carignan need look no further. Pejoratively described as the work-horse grape by some, Carignan is in fact the backbone and, almost mixing metaphors, the lifeblood of the Languedoc landscape. From the wonderful terroir of Les Terrasses De Larzac, soon to be promoted to stand-alone AC, Laurent and Geneviève Vidal farm biodynamically. Their Carignan is made from 55 yo vines; it is dominated by notes of dried fruits and macerated plums with quite firm tannins and a great deal of attitude. Will certainly repay double or even triple decanting and accompany a block of Comté or a haunch of venison. Will also repay patience.

A relatively new, bio-dynamically-farmed project in the Terraces du Larzac.. Mas Conscience is clearly another rising star of the Languedoc region... Dark chocolate and toasted walnuts more familiar from Carignan mingle with the black fruits, bittersweet herbs, and maple-drenched black fruits in the clear, lingering finish. Knowing the proclivities of old vines Carignan, and given the exceptional quality of this wine, it might well be worth following for 5-7 years. But you’ll have a hard time sparing any bottles from the corkscrew for that long...
(David Schildknecht - Wine Advocate - Jun-2009)