Chateau Carignan Red Bordeaux, 2001 vintage, estate bottled
price: $14-$15
suggested food pairings: red meats, hearty soups and stews

It’s difficult to encounter a truly balanced French red for under $20. Leave it to Serge Dore, a Frenchman turned importer, to bring us such a wine from, of all places, the especially pricey region of Bordeaux. An acquaintance of mine, Serge brings approximately 60 different wine and cognac labels to our state. He calls southern New York home, but spends a great deal of time finding those hidden, and therefore undervalued, French wines in that country’s most famous wine regions.

As for this particular label, the centerpiece of the 370-acre estate (160 of those acres are planted with Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc) is a castle with a cornerstone laid in 1452. If you think 550 years is old, the Chateau was itself built on the site of a former Roman villa. Since we know the oldest vineyards in France are in Bordeaux, and we know that 2,000 years ago Roman conquerors were growing wine grapes there, we can easily let our imaginations run wild about how many vintages have come from the soil that produced this wine.

The austere chalkiness of Bordeaux wines is an acquired taste, but once you’re hooked, you’re hooked forever. The attractiveness in this bottle comes from its balance. Deep red in color, the wine is a blend of 65 percent Merlot, 25 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10 percent Cabernet Franc. The nose is 100 percent Bordeaux, showing dusty fruit, minerals and oak in the background. The first sips are typically dry, but the tannins, softened by the use of conditioned oak (code for barrels used in previous vintages), do not grab your tongue and squeeze in the fashion a young Bordeaux tends to behave. Red and black currant flavors intertwine with dry cherry nuances to happily fill the space between the chalk dry mouth entry and the pleasing spiced finish. All is knit together with a confident hand by a mature acid level. Although it is enjoyable right off the shelf, this wine is worthy of cellaring a few bottles for three to five years.

Craig Pierce can be reached at craig_l_pierce[at]hotmail[dot]com.