Ch. Calissanne (Provence) '05

In Brief:

2005 Chateau Calissanne ( Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence) (Corkscrew 13)

This 70:30 Cab/Shiraz blend has a pleasant nose of light cherries with a hint of spiced oranges, though the aroma is weak and tenuous. In the mouth this wine revealed a light body, with subdued acidity and slightly sweet fruit on the midpalate (by which I mean the part of the palate where the sense of smell is most in play. In time, the point right before swallowing, if you were to swallow). The texture was soft and watery, with a little milkiness. The finish revealed lots of soft tannins with some bitterness. A rather weak, subdued wine. Drinks easily.

Tasting Notes:

Benefited noticeably from aeration. After two hours or so, it was a bit better than 20 minutes after opening. However the aroma was always slightly weak and "closed." Tasted in close to ideal conditions, out of the Reidel bordeaux, and the Ravenscroft amplifier.

This 70:30 Cab/Shiraz blend possessed a pleasant, if rather tenuous, nose of light cherries and a hint of spiced orange. Due to the weakness of the aroma it was a bit difficult to detect subtleties under the relative strength of the alcohol fumes, and my nose was left somewhat singed by the experience. At times, the smell was a bit fake and artificial. At one point, there was a whiff of something warm and wholesome, akin to the smell of pie still baking. In the mouth this wine revealed a light body, with subdued acidity and slightly sweet fruit on the midpalate. Perhaps it was the tannins that evoked a soft, watery-milk texture, because it certainly wasn't high extract or concentration of fruit or alcohol (13%). The finish revealed lots of smooth tannins with some bitterness. A weak, wimpy wine that requires too much effort to detect its only slight complexity. Drinks easily and tastes quite sweet after a while, though not nearly to the extent of the Beaujolais-Villages.