Domaine des Tourelles Vieilles Vignes Cinsault 2019
Back in 2021 I discovered that, contrary to what I'd previously believed, I actually really love wine. That kicked off a bit of a special interest in it for me. I haven't been able to indulge much this year because I haven't really had much money, and a lot of the bottles I had on hand had to be thrown away because my storage was inadequate and they stewed over a very hot summer.
As of last week I have a small wine fridge, though, so I'm able to start getting things in again and I'm very excited about that. (I also paid for it with Amazon vouchers accrued by doing online surveys, which I'm not mad about). I still don't have much money to actually fill the damn thing, but I do have a couple of bottles that I haven't drunk yet that I hope are in decent condition still. We'll see.
Something I've been trying to do over the last couple of years is to try all of the different grapes used in producing Châteauneuf-du-Pape in single varietals. Some of these are easier to come by than others. Early on I tried Cinsault and found that I really didn't like it, but I bought a couple of bottles from different regions and producers to see if maybe it was just a specific wine I didn't like.
It wasn't. I didn't like any of them. And so this, my final bottle of Cinsault, sat in my cupboard for over a year as I refused to drink it.
Today I finally opened it, figuring that I should at least try it. Worst case scenario is I don't like it and I pour it away, which is functionally the same as letting it sit and gather dust for years with no intention of drinking it.
It turns out that I do, in fact, like this expression of Cinsault. This is my first Lebanese wine and after trying it I'm determined to seek out some more from that country.
Domaine des Tourelles was founded in 1868 by French "adventurer" François-Eugène Brun and is one of the most highly acclaimed and oldest wineries still operating in Lebanon. It was also the first commercial cellar in 'modern' Lebanon to produce wines, arak and other spirits. Cinsault itself was grown in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley since the mid-19th century before being replaced by new imported varieties. In 2014, Domaine des Tourelles revived this grape by selecting very old Cinsault vines (over 70 years old). The grapes are handpicked and fermented with indigenous yeasts in concrete vats for ten days. Malolactic fermentation begins spontaneously. The wine is then aged for 1 year in concrete and then spends a further 6 months in used French oak barrels to round out the tannins.
This is a nice, easy drinking red. Slightly perfumed, with hints of violet on the nose, and spicy cherry and tobacco notes with what I think is a little fig. Very mild tannins felt across the front of the upper lip.
I'm very glad I finally opened this one.