It's been a WHILE! Not to say that I haven't been drinking (let's not get crazy here), I just haven't been writing. I've had this review scribbled on yellow legal pad in my purse for a week- I just needed time to sit down and add it.
 Ok, this week- 2009 Vignoble Terres Falmet 100% Cinsault. This is a Vin de France from the Languedoc region of south east France. This was brought in by a distributor for me and the boys at Crush to taste and I had to write about it here. When I taste wine I am always looking for something different and interesting. Though there is a difference between what I like in a sample and what I can drink multiple glasses of without food, my favorite thing about wines is texture. What the nose leads you to think how the actual liquid will feel on the palate. I prefer wines that are a bit rough around the edges when you first pour them. There is a time and a place for big, soft and round wines... but to catch my attention, I like something that brings the image of scuffed knees when I was a kid, or shag carpet- you get the idea. Something other than silky, velvety curtains (though I enjoy those as well).
  Cinsault is classically a blending grape in the Rhone Valley and Languedoc (who commonly use Rhone varietals). It's a bit more rare to see this grape it on it's own- but it is so great when it is. Tasting these supporting varietals alone allows me to find them in blends and understand what they bring to the combination- how they support other varietals and at the same time how they are supported. But lets start from the beginning...
 The nose is a bit brambly or has hints of garrigue- kind of underbrushy, earthy tones with herbs and spices. There is this light, dry soil aroma which makes me visualize dry brown stones. The fruits I found were along the lines of currant or cranberry on the front but they became dark like black berry or the smell of ripe plum skin. This reminded me of Pinot Noir at times, cherry and other red fruits at the beginning of the sniff and then a touch of that darker fruit to give the nose depth. It makes me think of starting to slide down a hill and you are high at the  peak (light, red fruits) and then it dips down low (enter dark fruits) before you slow at the end of the slope).
 The palate was a trip. This VdF is texture like I've never had in a wine. The fruits were confirmed and the mouth-feel was incredible! Swirling this wine around on my tongue combined with the flavor of light soil, I half expected to bite down on bits of dirt! The tannin was gentle but prickly and brought a very vivid picture of rolling earth around in a glass jar. This Cinsault has a similar weight to a Burgundian Pinot Noir- light with snappy acid and thin but taught tannin towards the front of the mouth. The fresh acidity really allowed the fruit to pop and seem more vibrant than it had on the nose. I did get a small sense of match stick which I chalk up to sulfur which did not dissipate as the wine sat open- by the second day it was still noticeable. On day 2 I also kept thinking purple Popsicle- not in the sense of sugary sweetness, but just fresh and sweet smelling fruit.
 I really got a kick out of this bottle and I hope to see it on our shelves in the Cellar soon. The texture of this bottle will stick with me for a while and I can't wait to bring one home and enjoy it over dinner. I see this being a great food wine- it's acid and tannin will stand up to small game, pork loin with a berry sauce or chicken dishes. I would lean toward an old world style of meat- nothing too clean, but nothing too heavy (not your steak wine). This could be a fun one to try with Coq au Vin.