I wish to declare “force majeure” on this one.

I don’t know where to start.

Maybe because I EXPECTED to be greeted by a spider
wearing tennis shoes when I opened the bottle.

Maybe because I was thinking it was Carignan.

In an attempt to eradicate feelings of insanity
I tried to make a connection between Cinsault and
Carignan.

From wikipedia…

Other varieties that are sometimes confused with Carignan
but have been conclusively proven by DNA analysis to be
distinct include the Sardinian wine grape Nieddera that
is related to the Pascale di Cagliari grape which also
grown on the island and sometimes confused with Carignan,
Cinsault which shares the synonym Samsó in Catalonia with Carignan, <<<<< HUH?
the Italian wine grape Tintilia del Molise that is grown in the
Lazio and Molise wine regions of central Italy and the Spanish
wine grape Parraleta that is grown in the Somontano DO of Aragon.[4]

The problem is that I'm not "intellectually confused", I'm just
"plain confused".

And from https://learn.winecoolerdirect.com/cinsault/

Cinsault Taste & Aroma

The taste of a wine produced with Cinsault grapes can vary
drastically. Because this grape is often used as a filler or
blending grape,
it can produce anything from a rose to a Carignan. <<<<<<<<<<<< WTF?
The taste and aroma can vary depending on the other grapes
used and the individual processing methods.
It’s common for a Cinsault-based wine to have a strong aroma of:
blah, blah, blah, and
reptiles that emit strong odors of varmints when threatened

I give up.

Can I just have a Corbieres with the usual suspects present
in appropriate amounts?

So maybe it's not tennies.

Ahh. Yes. A tuxedo clad fox.

How elegant.

I'm trying to lure the fox back into the bottle
so I can save some (wine) for tomorrow.

Day Two…

I think the fox drowned.

There's a brighter nature to the wine (and ME?) today.

The fresh cut asparagus is warming in the buttered
skillet with a few precisely cut slices of garlic while
I warm up to the wine.

This is better. Maybe a bit of air helped this one/ME.

Low ALC, light body, tart enough, cherry flavor, and
maybe more tannins than I'm used to in the lighter wines
that I enjoy (PNs primarily).

It looks like this is the wrong kind of wine for asparagus,
but that's too bad.

I'm going to be eating a lot of asparagus this spring.
(It was my New Year's resolution.)

I'm impressed with the "purity" of the wine. Maybe
the correct wine word is "clean".

We'll see what happens when we encounter the fox again at
the bottom of the bottle.

I'm actually missing the fox now. Let's see what asparagus
does to the wine.

So, my conclusion is that if you cook the asparagus
"correctly" and it becomes actual FOOD, it would go with
any dry wine that has respectable quality.

I'm enjoying this well enough but my mind wanders to a
Bandol rosé.

I have several white/rosé wines to try the asparagus with.

Next stop will be a rosé.

Recipe:
Rinse asparagus. Leave water on asparagus.
Trim asparagus down to three inches.
Slice three cloves of garlic one eighth in thick,
across the grain. (Use a micrometer to check your work.)
Melt one to two tablespoons SmartBalance in
a nine inch cast iron skillet.
Add asparagus and garlic slices.
Add only enough asparagus to the skillet
such that each "spear" lays on the skillet bottom.
Sprinkle with coarse kosher salt.
Cover and cook on low for several minutes.
Maybe five minutes.
The excess water on the asparagus will steam
the asparagus and make it tender.
Toss the stuff around a bit.
As the water boils away keep the heat at a low
enough temperature to achieve a slight simmer.
Keep covered as the SmartBalance goes to work.
Maybe another five minutes.
Toss the stuff around another bit.
Check to see that the asparagus has started to
brown and the garlic is not TOO brown.
If the garlic looks totally brown then it got too hot.
Turn the heat off and let the UNCOVERED skillet remain on
the cooking surface.
After a few minutes you are in business.

These "first-out-of-the-ground" spears are almost
sweet and nutty.

This batch of asparagus is gone and now I can focus
on the wine.

As bizarre as this might seem, the "hardy" asparagus
actually outfoxed the wine.

It seems quite pale NOW. I could close my eyes and be
convinced I'm drinking a rosé.

I'm cracking the big Wine book on this one to try to
LEARN SOMETHING.

I feel like Thomas Jefferson in his later years in
that I am VERY FOND of the wines from southern France
except that I like them WITH FOOD rather than AFTER.

Location. Location. Location.

Timing is always a challenge, even for an ex-pres.

Oops. I just got transported again.

I'm drooling as I think of a Chinon rosé which I have
never experienced.

I'd take a lighter red if I can get it.

And back to the Cinsault…

The wine has "lasted well" for some reason.

Interspersed sips seemed to be satisfying enough.

No reason to hurry. Every reason to linger.

The food might be wearing off now and I'm picking
up a subtle bit of cinnamon/pecan tannins.

Since this one was done in concrete, where are the
tanning coming from?

Is Cinsault thicker skinned than PN?

Very soft, very subtle, but noticeable.

Maybe I'm getting close to that fox. Maybe I'm just
getting tuned in. Maybe this wine was just PLAIN
GOOD from the get go.

I'm trying to imagine how to BEST ENJOY this wine.

I'm lost. I should have tried some of the smoked turkey.

I might be sneaking up on the fox. Shhh.
Don't wake her up.

Water crackers and Mozzarella.

No, triple cream Brie.

And this wine fits MY definition of "claret", as informed by the
Latin language.

In today's world, and due to our "modern" taste preferences, I
don't know if a Bordeaux (nebulously defined) "claret" can exist.
It's worth the pursuit nonetheless.

When I was a kid, I thought Burgundy was a "heavy" wine and
a (Bordeaux) claret was "lighter". There is no reason for me
to have been thinking "correctly", that's just what I thought.
So I want a "claret" from Bordeaux.

(I know the fox came from Languedoc, I'm just daydreaming
in an uncontrollable fashion.)

And it's gone. No fox.

AS IT TURNS OUT…

I had this back in June and was equally
"impressed". Similar effusive notes.