Abbotts & Delaunay Les Fleurs Carignan Vieilles Vignes 2024

With this very fine pure Carignan, Laurent Delaunay proves once again what a skilled winemaker he is. After all, the Carignan grape is not exactly known for its youthful seductiveness. It is a grape that can contain a lot of acidity, tannins, and bitterness, which is why many winemakers only use the grape in blends.

Laurent, however, knows that Carignan harvested from old vines in favorably situated vineyards can yield impressive, concentrated red wine. And selecting suitable vineyards happens to be precisely one of his talents.


Laurent harvests a portion of the Carignan for this Les Fruits Sauvages from vines over fifty years old on the estate near Narbonne. For more structure and ripeness, he supplements these grapes with Carignan harvested from a vineyard with limestone and clay soils in the Minervois. For freshness and fruitiness, he adds a portion of grapes from a cool-situated vineyard in Corbières.

After fermentation, he ages this balanced blend 80% in oak barrels, a small proportion of which are new. This results in a beautiful, full-bodied red wine with a perfect balance between juicy fruit, ripeness, and a powerful, velvety structure. With notes of blackcurrant, plum, fig, garrigue, and mocha, this is a delicious wine to pair with lamb stew, game, or aged cheeses.