Mary Taylor’s portfolio of hidden gems has come around again with this sublime Carignan from a remote corner of Languedoc. Ann Sarda farms without pesticides in vineyards too rocky for tractors or even horses. All her work in the vineyard is done by hand, and in the hot and dry climate of southern Languedoc – not far north of Corbieres – organic farming is relatively easy, when mold and rot are rare. This is the spiritual heartland of Carignan, a vine too lightly regarded for quality because it traditionally offers enormous yields. In Ann sarda’s hands, when she tends 60 year old vines that can no longer produce large crops, the results are a cut above the usual Languedoc table wine. Black cherry pastille, blackcurrant and blueberry, violets and wet clay fill out a gorgeous and black fruit tinted nose. The palate is supported by tannins like steel girders, with all the pastille you can find in a vintage candy store, black and blue fruit, and rich clay soil that lingers on the finish. This is a wine that begs for rustic cuts of simply seasoned meat, but really any full bodied dish will do.