Carignan is another grape with a long tradition in the south of France, where it's widely planted in the Languedoc Region, near Beziers and Narbonne. One of my favorite French winemakers today is Maxime Magnon, a gifted young vigneron from Corbieres who is the toast of the wine trade in Paris for his wines from old Carignan vines. Maxime set the bar pretty high for us, but our winemaker Tadeo Borchardt was up to the test. Working with the small crop from these own-rooted vines believed to be 135 years old, Tadeo has made a fascinating wine, unlike anything I've tasted from California. The wine is soft and luscious. The taste is reminiscent of wild blackberries and licorice. The texture is almost chunky.