By Bruce Neyers

Saturday 24th May, 2025

Eric Asimov on Carignan

In his New York Times column on April 30, 2025, Eric Asimov advances his reputation as an advisor with the consumer’s best interest in mind. Likening a visit to his local wine merchant as a trip to an art museum, he suggests that rather than make a buying decision based on all of the wines available, one might focus instead on a smaller subset of the merchant’s selections, narrowing the options down to, say, 10 grape varieties. This, he advises, permits better concentration. Among his ten varietal suggestions is one of our personal favorites — Carignan. Here’s what Eric has to say:

The variety available is filled with treasures, but it can be paralyzing to choose a bottle.

For years, Carignan was maligned as incapable of producing good wines. But, as has often been the case, when farmed with care and made with intent, poor old Carignan demonstrates how good it can be. It’s a Mediterranean grape, and was once ubiquitous in southern France and Catalonia in Spain, but I’ve grown to admire the Carignans of California. Often, it’s part of a blend, including California’s old field blends. But I see it increasingly as a varietal wine.

Eric goes on to suggest a handful of his favorites from California. We agree with him completely, and at Neyers Winery we’ve been making varietal Carignan for almost two decades. We produce our Carignan from grapes grown on 140-year-old vines on the Evangelho Vineyard in Oakley, a small town south of the Carquinez Strait, east of the San Francisco Bay. These old, own-rooted vines yield a small crop of perfectly ripened berries just loaded with fresh, exotic flavors. The finished wine is smooth, rich and complex, and provides an opportunity to expand everyone’s on-going search for comfort. It’s a wine clearly made with intent.