Happening Now Tasting 20: Domaine de Triennes St. Auguste 2006, VdP du Var

What happens when you combine the aspirations and venture'ism of famous wine personalities like Jacques Seysses from Domaine Dujac and Aubert de Villaine from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti? Well, for instance … today's wine, I suppose! In the late 1980's both gentlemen and their mutual Parisian friend Michel Macaux started the search for new horizons beyond the fair hills of Burgundy. Eventually they found the old Domaine du Logis de Nans in the Var region east of Aix en Provence. The vineyards in this part of Var region are dominated by clay and limestone soils. In 1990 the winery was renovated and renamed to Domaine de Triennes. The new name was chosen to symbolize a reference to the Triennia festival of Bacchus, the Roman god of agriculture and wine, as well as a reference to the three founding members of Triennes.

Today's St. August from 2006 is the flagship wine of the estate. It is a red blend made of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (average yield of 30 to 35 hl per ha) which were separately aged for approx. 12 months in used Dujac pièce barrels. Let's have a look into this one ...

5:39 pm (popped and poured)

Colour: deep, dark, hardly transparent and pretty radiant violet hue without a trace of discolouration

Nose: black olives, fresh brambles, dried leaves, nougat, plenty of uncrushed coffee beans, some leather, just a hint of garrigue and minor impression of oak. So far the nose seems rather mellow, nicely balanced, not at all challenging and not surely not too gabby. Still a bit reserved in sense of intensity.

Taste: by far not as balanced as the nose predicted; at the moment a bit disjoint, flat,  rustic, full of impressions of gravy and dusty chocolate and plenty of lush greenery; I suggest a postponement until further notice … well until an hour or so. Type for you then …

6:51 pm

Nose: well, so far still rather similar impression; some more (troubling) herbaceous (not garrigue'ish) and brutish sweaty aromas are rising at the moment. A few indications of old charcoal'istic oak, too. Not quite sure where this is heading. I am afraid nowhere I'd like to have it ...

Taste: Hmmm, still pretty disjoint; the tannins are appearing more ferocious (as well as dusty) than before and the body is still rather flat and lazy; no comment to the finish; I don't and won't give up – however the signals aren't that mixed I am afraid, anyway I will pull through with this. Till an hour or so ...

8:12 pm

No real shift happening I am afraid. On the palate still disjoint, perhaps even more than before. Apart of that still very immobile. Let's wait a bit more.

8:31 am (breakfast update for a change)

I think I got to face reality! Yesterday I did not want to believe it, although it was pretty clear! The first hour of nose indulgence was probably the last exhale of this red blend. It is simply over the hill! Still well equippted with plenty of hard tannin, but in centre of attention just emaciated flatlands. Quite sad! Well, what can you do. No real life – no rating! Still consumable, but no fun at all! I guess my recent choice of “Happening Now Tasting” wines weren't that fortunate! Next time I do better!