About this WINE
Combier Fischer Gerin Associes
Priorat is located 30 km west of Tarragona in the Spanish province of Catalonia. This wine-growing area lived its golden age in the 19th century, but was slowly abandonned until some twenty years ago, when a group of idealistic vintners (René Barbier, Alvaro Palacio, Louis Perez....) rediscovered its potential.
Carignan, Grenache are the traditional varieties, but more recently also Syrah and some Cabernet have been planted. The vineyards are cultivated on steep slopes between 300 and 600m altitude on slate (Llicorelles). Together with its continental climate (cold nights, hot days) the wines resulting are of unusual power, yet balanced and elegant. Today, the quality of the Priorat wines is renowned all over the world.
Trio Infernal is born by the association of three vintner friends, Laurent Combier ( Crozes Hemitage), Peter Fischer (Provence) and the rising star from Rhone, Jean Michel Gerin (Côte Rotie), who put their know-how and passion together to create a great wine.
Combier Fischer Gerin Associés wines showcase the delights of Priorat's signature grape Garnacha, alongside Carignan and sum up the virtues of contemporary Spanish winemaking; They are Old World in the soul, tradition-bound wines, yet at the same time they are innovative and provocative. They combine the flamboyant, fruit-forward excitement of modern winemaking with the complexity and power of old vines.
Cuvee 2/3 is a rare and unique -for Priorat's standards, 100% old vine Garignan, while Cuvee 1/3 marries the latter with 60% Garnacha.
Carignan
Carignan, as its name suggests, is presumably of Spanish in origin, from around the town of Carineña west of Priorat in the province of Aragon.
Carignan, also known as Carginano in Italy and Cariñena or Mazeulo in Spain, is one of the most widely-planted red grapes in France. Planting became widespread in France during the 1960s, when Algeria gained its independence and was no longer an inexpensive source of red grapes. Languedoc-Rousillon (Cotes du Roussillon, Corbières, Saint Chinian) is the bastion of Carignan in France, and it is also grown Provence, although it now gradually being replaced with more complex and characterful varieties such as Syrah and Grenache.
The berries are blue-black, with fairly thick, astringent skins.Carignan buds and ripens quite late, so it is resistant to spring frosts, but requires a long ripening season and warm climate. It is a vigorous grape, which can result a wine of dull character.
Carignan is useful for adding intense colour, acidity, and fleshy tannins to the archetypal Southern French blends of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault. Few select growers have managed to produce interesting, distinctive wines from this grape by carefully limiting the vine vigour and the yields.
Old Carignan vines (over 50 years) on a combination of low yields and suitable terroir can produce magnificently concentrated and characterful wine. The best expressions can be found in Priorat.
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Description
Riu is the junior wine from the three-way collaboration between two great Rhône growers, Jean Michel Gerin form Côte Rôtie and Laurent Combier form Crozes Hermitage, and flying Dutchman Peter Fischer. Riu, in the unlikely event that the word is unfamiliar to you, means stream in Catalan, and the vines here are planted in a canyon near Torroja, a little lower down from the older vines which go into the top Trio wines. The word can also mean ‘smile’, therefore is a play on words on the Trio Infernal corporate logo, which was once so evident on the labels but which, thankfully, is now more discretely displayed on the corks and capsules.
The blend here is 98% Grenache and 2% Syrah...good to see a little Syrah has been slipped in by the northern Rhône boys! The wine is intended to be softer, rounder and more approachable than its siblings; a vin de bistrot as Jean Michel would have it. It is both rich and charming, the 2009, as befits this excellent vintage, the most serious offering yet with real length and mid-palate harmony evidenced.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)
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