2014 Sandlands Carignane- USA, California (2/6/2019)
Splashed several ounces into my glass to air it out, and lit sit for 30 minutes before I even tasted it. Vivid aromas of crushed red raspberry fruit combined with overtones of dusty, scrub land on a hot day. On the palate there was a sense of the wildness of Carignan, but the edges were sanded off. Served with a basic, local-ingredient beef stew it was an excellent combination. The stew kept the tannins at bay, and the herbal/briary nuances of the wine played off the food.
No rush to drink up, as there is lots of fruit, and a solid tannic base.
It’s an interesting question as to what age to drink the various Sandlands reds. Most of the ones I’ve tried, I can kind of see it both ways in terms of whether they’ll be better younger or with longer age. But there are so many different ones from different sites, and I candidly haven’t made any effort to keep track of my impressions.
Until such time as we have some level of aging history, I will just peer in at various times to see what’s going on. No regrets about opening things too soon. It’s an effort to understand what is going on with the wines.
Yeah, I’m not really worried about too soon, as they all seem to be enjoyable early. I’m more wondering if the ones that get on in years will reward or disappoint me. And the answer likely won’t be the same from one variety and one vineyard to the next.
It’ll be a fun journey, anyway. I’m glad I’m on it.
I agree with your comments about the “dusty, scrub land” and the “wildness.” I seem to find those characteristics in most of the Sandlands red wines regardless of age. The Chenins and the one Rose produced exhibited mineral-driven characteristics. I think that’s just the style of the wines given the vineyards. It’s mostly from memory though, as I’ve done a very poor job in noting my impressions of these wines over time. I do recall enjoying everything I’ve opened.
With regard to ageability, I’ve had this wine and others both upon release and with 3-4 years of age. I don’t recall there being a dramatic difference in terms of taste, smell or other nuances. I do still have a 2012 Grenache and 2012 Chenin from Tegan’s second release. I’ll pop one or both of those in the next couple of days and post something here. Unfortunately, I didn’t make any formal notes on the same bottles from earlier consumption so no comparisons to be made.
Way too much varietal variation to make a generalization, I think. I have a couple incoming (the Mission and the Refosco) that I frankly have no idea how to manage. Can’t wait to try though.