XV Du President, Grenache, Côtes Catalanes VdP - Laithwaites

"Thunderously powerful vintage of the King ... pure fruit with a whack of 15% power!" announces the Laithwaites website - my own take on this southern French Grenache is a little more pedestrian; overcooked.

Côtes Catalanes, as the name suggests, is a lowly VdP in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of Languedoc in southern France where the late-ripening Grenache dominates; Grenache is a big Essex girl of a grape - up-front and blowsy, not very classy, but will generally show you a good time.

Baked, jammy and overcooked, with stewed plums, prunes and raisiny spice  - a bit like supermarket own label, oversugared blackcurrant jam.

I've had plenty of cheap and cheerful Grenache from Languedoc that I have really enjoyed, but I have generally paid around €5 from a decent French supermarket (see Wine-buying in France; Calais for more details).

At £7.99 (plus delivery) from Laithwaites, this wine feels overpriced as well as overcooked.

Links

Laithwaites - http://www.laithwaites.co.uk/

Grenache on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenache