Drinking the McCrea Counoise
One good way to relieve some pre-wedding stress is to get a couple of good friends together and drink some wine. Tonight, we managed to do just that: drink some wine, finally. I almost opened the Belle Pente wine that I received recently, but I decided to uncork the McCrea Counoise that I purchased a couple of weeks ago.
The McCrea Counoise is 87% Counoise and 13% Syrah. But what is “Counoise?” It’s not a very common varietal, to be sure. Wikipedia describes it as “hard to find but worth seeking out for its spicy fruit.” Hmm…I can see where this wine could have some spice to it, but in the half-bottle and at this age it wasn’t the best. Here are some notes:
- Aroma: Confused at first, eventually settled down a little into a melange of black fruit and red raspberry with some vegetal overtones.
- Flavor: Not all that inspiring. Lots of acid, particularly at first, but still on the mid-palate after 30-45 minutes of having opened the bottle. Again, some vegetal/bell pepper notes that I suspect are simply part of this blend.
- General Impression: Probably won’t buy this wine again. Not well balanced, too acidic, and the flavors weren’t too interesting to me. On the plus side, I now have an empty half-bottle to use for storing other wines!
Basically, I bought this wine to add another entry in my “100 wine club” spreadsheet, and to get that reusable half-bottle. Mission accomplished. As my wine-loving friend said, “I like it, but I wouldn’t buy a bunch of it.” Indeed. I’d certainly try the Counoise varietal again, but I’d like one with some age on it, I think.