Kenneth Volk 2005 Négrette

I'm having some sadness as of late. You see, I started my wine collection some years back with my ex before we knew much about wine, not properly storing them and not knowing that most wines are meant to be consumed 3 - 5 years of vintage (a good rule of thumb if you need one). As it is the start of fall shipments I wanted to make room in my racks for the new comers (I just received my Fess Parker shipment) so I opened a bottle and discovered to my dismay that it was turning. Sadly this experience was repeatable on 5 different bottles! Oh well, now I know better. Anyway, I came across one that I had not see in a while, Kenneth Volk 2005 Négrette. "Négrette?" I hear you query. Not something you come across in your typical supermarket or even big-box liquor store. The Négrette is a red grape typically found in the south of France in the Midi region. The grape is thin-skinned, small-clustered and bares some resemblance to the Pinot Noir in tis being difficult to grow (the French call it the "little black bitch". Kenneth Volk says, Négrette is "difficult to grow, difficult to make, and difficult to describe". Think of a Pinot - Syrah hybrid. Luckily for me 7 was a lucky number, the wine was not spoiled! Deep in color (almost purple), it gave me a mix of earthiness, plum, spice and black licorice on my first inhale. Swirling produced some nice thick legs bearing the deep color down the inside wall of my glass and brought a smile to my face. The wine is fairly light bodied with a nice balance of alcohol, soft tannins, and hints of strawberry. With a glass in hand I was starting not to feel quite so bad over my lost treasures and a new appreciation for Matthew 6:19.