Abbotts & Delaunay Les Fleurs Carignan Vieilles Vignes 2022

With this very beautiful pure Carignan, Laurent Delaunay proves once again what a skilled winemaker he is. The Carignan grape is not necessarily known for its youthful seductiveness. It is a grape that can contain many acids, tannins and bitters, which is why many winemakers only use the grape in blends.

However, Laurent knows that carignan harvested from old vines in conveniently located vineyards can produce impressive, concentrated red wine. And selecting suitable vineyards is precisely one of his talents.


Laurent harvests part of the carignan for these Les Fruits Sauvages from over fifty year old vines on the domain near Narbonne. For more structure and ripeness, he supplements these grapes with carignan harvested in a vineyard with lime and clay soils in the Minervois. For freshness and fruitiness, he adds some grapes from a cool vineyard in Corbières.

After fermentation, he matures this balanced blend for 80% in oak barrels, a small part of which are new. It produces a beautiful, full-bodied red wine, with a perfect balance between juicy fruit, ripeness and a powerful, velvety structure. With its notes of blackcurrant, plum, fig, garrigue and mocha, this is a delicious wine with lamb stew, game or mature cheeses.