Wine Enthusiast – October 2019

32 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | OCTOBER 2019

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GRAPE ON THE GO

CINSAULT IT IS

This Southern France native grape keeps things

fresh wherever it’s warm.

O

pen and bright, with soft tannins and ripe red fruit

notes, Cinsault (or Cinsaut) is often used as a blend-

ing grape. Historically, when wine fashions have turned

bigger and bolder, its roots have been ripped out across

Languedoc-Roussillon, Rhône and Provence: It went from a peak

of more than 125,000 acres in the late 1970s to less than 50,000

acres today. But as warmer vintages become more frequent, some of

the variety’s “flaws” are increasingly seen as desirable qualities. Its

yields can become too high, especially in young vines, but Cinsault

manages to retain acidity and keep its sugars low in even the hot-

test conditions, providing much-needed freshness to red wines and

rosés. In Provence, the variety can make up a significant proportion

of the latter.

In other parts of the world, Cinsault is not necessarily a new grape,

but it is getting fresh attention due to stylistic trends toward lighter

wines. Keep an eye out for old-vine bottlings that might express a

little spice and meatiness. —Rémy Charest

SOUTH AFRICA

Beyond being one of the parent grapes of Pinotage, Cinsault’s 4,200 or so acres

make it important here. It’s often used to make thirst-quenching reds with alcohol

levels under 13%, like those of Leeuwenkuil Family Vineyards, Flotsam & Jetsam,

Bosman Family Vineyards, The Blacksmith or Badenhorst Family Wines. Old-

vine cuvées like Badenhorst’s Ramnsagras, The Sadie Family’s Poffader, Savage

Wines’s Follow the Line and Naudé’s Old Vines Cinsault show how complex and

ageworthy the grape can be.

CALIFORNIA

The oldest surviving vines of Cinsault in the world are from an 1886 planting at

Bechtold Vineyard in Lodi, found in varietal bottlings by Turley Wine Cellars and

Birichino. Acreage remains low, but small cuvées emerge regularly, like Hatcher

Winery Cinsault Rosé from Calaveras County or Frick Winery’s Dry Creek Valley

Cinsault. Outside of California, Cinsault also draws interest in states like Arizona,

Texas and Washington.

AUSTRALIA

In Australia, a 1978 wine guide referred to Cinsault as “used, mostly in South

Australia, to lend mediocrity to otherwise good wine.” Fortunately, a few dozen

producers hold it in better esteem, and though most of it is a minor blend

component, there are some delicious old-vine bottlings by the likes of Brash

Higgins and Shobbrook Wines.

LEBANON

In the Bekaa Valley, Cinsault has long been an essential part of the fabled

Château Musar’s red blends. Domaine des Tourelles has also recently started to

produce a solid old vine offering.