Robert Parker, Jr. - The Wine Advocate:  Rated as An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. "A blend of Grenache with 30% Syrah and 10% Carignan, Thunevin and Calvet’s old vines 2006 Cuvee Constance serves as their entry-level wine, which makes the quality on display here quite extraordinary. Of course, this wine’s elevage accords with entry-level status: all in tank. But when you get a whiff of the cherry and plum preserves, coconut, mint, dark chocolate, vanilla and exotic spices emanating from the glass, you may well ask what level of toast was used for the concrete! A creamy texture complements the nearly over-ripe fruit character and inner-mouth perfume and spice, and faintly bitter notes of coffee and dark chocolate and pungent smokiness, along with notes of stone and lead pencil, add counterpoint to a long finish." Aug 2008

Winery:  "Cuvee Constance bears its name well since its first vintage. It seduces with its quality and unbeatable quality/price ratio. This wine of rich and sensual soil has a very wide range."

Wired For Wine:   Another way to get out of that wine rut you're in: this Calvet-Thunevin "Cuvee Constance" Cotes Catalanes.  No oak is used to craft this gorgeous French red, which works with many different food options, and it's a great value to boot!  Pour your first glasses to go with buffalo burger sliders with pickled onions and smoky red pepper sauce.  Even Parker's reviewer is perplexed by the amount of depth in the vanilla, spice and smokiness in this wine, given that it is aged in concrete tanks...  Of course, the fruit is dark, red, and forward.  We say drink this phenomenal Frenchie with beef, lamb, duck, grilled salmon, and more.  Our first choice is Alsatian pizza with bacon and caramelized onions.  Beaucoup pour moi, s'il vous plaît!  Grilled salmon with black beans and Pimente d'Espelette mayonnaise is perfect with the smoke and coffee flavors in this Cotes Catalanes.  And if comfort is what you're craving, make meatloaf with spinach and roasted baby potatoes.  Pouvez-vous penser à quelque chose mieux?   Set out a young Camembert cheese and pour yourselves nice full glasses after the dishes have been cleared.  Bienvenue, Constance!

Size:  750ml, cork
Varietal:  60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Carignan
Alcohol:  @14.0%
Ageing:  14 months in concrete tanks
Region:  Vins de Pays des Cotes Catalanes, Languedoc Roussillon, France