It’s Sunday…From the sundrenched terrace, we love watching our daughter, Alaina, making new discoveries in the garden. In this magical place, she enjoys the fresh breeze from the wildflowers, listening to the cicada’s heady chants, and skipping stones across the lake. Join us for a promenade with this wine that epitomizes the South of France. Admire the mountains and the rolling green vineyards. Awaken your five senses to enjoy a timeless moment.
Our Alaina Languedoc is a typical southern French blend with a dominant varietal of spicy Syrah. This wine offers a ripe nose of red fruits, with spices and aromatic herbs. The palate is mellow with intense berry flavor and a hint of rosemary notes.
This elegant red will be perfect with all kinds of meat such as grilled beef or chicken, and mature cheeses. Alaina can also be enjoyed on its own.
Vinification & Aging
Dawn harvesting with parcel selection, and fermenting takes place in stainless steel tanks with adapted temperature with skin contact to give it generosity. 40% of the wine is aged in big oak tanks for one year.
Specs
Varietal Blend: 70% Syrah, 30% Grenache
Appellation: AOP Languedoc
Terroir: Calcareous clay soil
Alcohol: 14%
pH: 3.7
Sugar Content: <1 g/l
What’s Included
6-bottles:
6x 2020 Laurent Miquel Alaina Languedoc AOP, France Case:
12x 2020 Laurent Miquel Alaina Languedoc AOP, France
We are eight-generation winemakers. So we’ve got history. That history informs but doesn’t dictate what we do. We respect the past, but constantly try to improve upon it. By always looking for better, more natural, and sustainable ways to harvest the world’s most elegant French wines. We are Laurent Miquel.
The vineyards at Laurent Miquel in Languedoc have a history of winemaking that goes all the way back to 1202 when the monks of Abbey de Fontcaude first began growing vines there. Today, alongside his wife Neasa, Laurent Miquel is the 8th generation of his family to work these vineyards and is known for growing varietals not normally grown in the region such as Syrah and Albariño. His winemaking philosophy is to respect the past, but constantly try to improve upon it and as a result, has created some of the most elegant French wines in the region.
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
2020 Laurent Miquel Alaina French Red
6 bottles for $64.99 $10.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $99.99 $8.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Tasted half bottle earlier and corked remains for tomorrow
Color: Bright ruby and clear
Nose: muted on PnP slight alcohol at 61 degrees; poured half bottle into decanter and revisited 30 minutes later; still muted though a bit of red fruit detected
Taste: at PnP not much maybe raspberry and cream according to my better half; I didn’t get much except slight alcohol on the finish; medium body, round tannins; after decanting a bit more bright red fruit and slight desert shrub but not much else
Both agreed it’s a simple table wine that all will enjoy but will not wow anyone
Definitely New World stylistically
We guessed $30 MSRP and would be a good QPR at $15
Note: the bottle is 14 inches tall as opposed to the typical 13 inches or so but looks cool though not sure about storage
In sum, a decent wine but not your typical old world style I’d expect from a French wine
I’m not too familiar with Languedoc but if pressed I’d guess this is a Grenache based blend
@losthighwayz Day 2 after spending past 20 hours corked in fridge: brought to 62 degrees. Alcohol has mellowed and tannins a tad more pronounced but not by much; wine hasn’t evolved much but it did not fall apart at all and is a tad more fruit forward
A great buy at this price so long as you tame your expectations
A nice everyday red that imo will pair well with pizza, burgers, tacos etc
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2020 Laurent Miquel Alaina French Red - $30 = 23.07%
Actually it is available on producer website, €10.00
One more spec…total acidity 3
Word on the street 2020 was an excellent Languedoc vintage, although yields were low. Why were yields down you ask? Well Covid shortened the hunting season and wild boars were prevalent and consumed many a grape. As in lots of grapes.
I knew I was getting this bottle last week, but the UPS gods decided not to deliver it until 9am today. This is MUCH better than the “by 9pm” delivery time I was quoted, so I’ll count that as a win. Unfortunately, I can’t do a crazy in-depth unhinged review like I normally do - because I am working. So here’s an unhinged stream-of-consciousness-not-edited-at-all-because-I-have-twenty-minutes-to-do-this review instead:
First thought was “that bottle shape is hella cool and I’m going to keep it and do something cool with it when we’re done drinking it.” Not sure what yet, but I don’t think the magpie in me will let this bottle go.
I also had no idea what type of wine this was (I didn’t read the bottle) so I was happy when I poured it and found a red. Really pretty color actually, very clear ruby. I’d take a picture to show you but my glasses are suspiciously dirty even though I literally just washed them.
Bottle/cork sniff test: Cork smells like cork. Bottle smells like…nothing.
Pouring: Even though it’s brilliantly colored, it’s very thin. The husband, who knows maybe four wine-related words, said “It doesn’t have any legs”. Ok hoss. I swirl it around my glass. It does. It just takes a few moments.
Not much to offer on the nose out of the bottle either. The best I can describe it as is herby, but in a very light summery way. The first thing I thought was ‘rosemary’, but much MUCH lighter than you’re thinking. Of course, that’s all I can think of now because there’s just not much else there.
The taste is fine. I’m having my less-than-half-a-glass with a salad, and the Italian dressing might be overpowering any other flavors this wine has to offer. It’s hard to say.
But I think it’s totally drinkable. It’s like the red table wine you can get at Macaroni Grill, but better? It’s not going to blow anyone’s socks off, but I do think it could easily be a go-to red when you’re in the mood for a red.
The husband just came into my office to remind me how much he HATES reds (too much tannin) and then asked if we could order some - so it looks like this is an approachable wine as well.
I guess we’re in for a case
And of course, here are my little inspectors doing their job and inspecting the bottle. The third is actually new to the job and doesn’t quite understand the assignment yet, but he’ll come around.
2020 Laurent Miquel Alaina Languedoc AOP, France
Tasting Notes
Vinification & Aging
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale on winery website, $288/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, May 20 - Tuesday, May 21
2020 Laurent Miquel Alaina French Red
6 bottles for $64.99 $10.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $99.99 $8.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Tasted half bottle earlier and corked remains for tomorrow
Color: Bright ruby and clear
Nose: muted on PnP slight alcohol at 61 degrees; poured half bottle into decanter and revisited 30 minutes later; still muted though a bit of red fruit detected
Taste: at PnP not much maybe raspberry and cream according to my better half; I didn’t get much except slight alcohol on the finish; medium body, round tannins; after decanting a bit more bright red fruit and slight desert shrub but not much else
Both agreed it’s a simple table wine that all will enjoy but will not wow anyone
Definitely New World stylistically
We guessed $30 MSRP and would be a good QPR at $15
Note: the bottle is 14 inches tall as opposed to the typical 13 inches or so but looks cool though not sure about storage
In sum, a decent wine but not your typical old world style I’d expect from a French wine
I’m not too familiar with Languedoc but if pressed I’d guess this is a Grenache based blend
@losthighwayz Day 2 after spending past 20 hours corked in fridge: brought to 62 degrees. Alcohol has mellowed and tannins a tad more pronounced but not by much; wine hasn’t evolved much but it did not fall apart at all and is a tad more fruit forward
A great buy at this price so long as you tame your expectations
A nice everyday red that imo will pair well with pizza, burgers, tacos etc
Thank you CM for the opportunity to rat
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2020 Laurent Miquel Alaina French Red - $30 = 23.07%
Hmmm… a little background blurb from 2020 here
Actually it is available on producer website, €10.00
One more spec…total acidity 3
Word on the street 2020 was an excellent Languedoc vintage, although yields were low. Why were yields down you ask? Well Covid shortened the hunting season and wild boars were prevalent and consumed many a grape. As in lots of grapes.
fwiw
@kaolis wanted to say I appreciate your vignettes; really glad I had 5 minutes to come back and learn about the 2020 growing season in Languedoc!
I knew I was getting this bottle last week, but the UPS gods decided not to deliver it until 9am today. This is MUCH better than the “by 9pm” delivery time I was quoted, so I’ll count that as a win. Unfortunately, I can’t do a crazy in-depth unhinged review like I normally do - because I am working. So here’s an unhinged stream-of-consciousness-not-edited-at-all-because-I-have-twenty-minutes-to-do-this review instead:
First thought was “that bottle shape is hella cool and I’m going to keep it and do something cool with it when we’re done drinking it.” Not sure what yet, but I don’t think the magpie in me will let this bottle go.
I also had no idea what type of wine this was (I didn’t read the bottle) so I was happy when I poured it and found a red. Really pretty color actually, very clear ruby. I’d take a picture to show you but my glasses are suspiciously dirty even though I literally just washed them.
Bottle/cork sniff test: Cork smells like cork. Bottle smells like…nothing.
Pouring: Even though it’s brilliantly colored, it’s very thin. The husband, who knows maybe four wine-related words, said “It doesn’t have any legs”. Ok hoss. I swirl it around my glass. It does. It just takes a few moments.
Not much to offer on the nose out of the bottle either. The best I can describe it as is herby, but in a very light summery way. The first thing I thought was ‘rosemary’, but much MUCH lighter than you’re thinking. Of course, that’s all I can think of now because there’s just not much else there.
The taste is fine. I’m having my less-than-half-a-glass with a salad, and the Italian dressing might be overpowering any other flavors this wine has to offer. It’s hard to say.
But I think it’s totally drinkable. It’s like the red table wine you can get at Macaroni Grill, but better? It’s not going to blow anyone’s socks off, but I do think it could easily be a go-to red when you’re in the mood for a red.
The husband just came into my office to remind me how much he HATES reds (too much tannin) and then asked if we could order some - so it looks like this is an approachable wine as well.
I guess we’re in for a case
And of course, here are my little inspectors doing their job and inspecting the bottle. The third is actually new to the job and doesn’t quite understand the assignment yet, but he’ll come around.
@jtallant Wow! A review that included CAT scans of the bottle!
Well, don’t think I’ve ever seen a bottle like that before.