Domaine Clavel, Les Garrigues, 2006

So here’s a reason, albeit a base and cheap one, to love the Wine Society: it’s really good value. Here’s a wine I got in their January clearance for £5.75, down from their usual £7.50. You can’t get it there any more (what with it being in the clearance and everything, it’s been cleared), but you can still get it at Tanners for £9.50. £9.50! That, for me, is quite a posh bottle. £5.75 is everyday drinking. £7.50 is something in between.

So what’s it worth? I like it, but I’m not about to start gushing. A mixture of Syrah (“une bonne moitié pour le fruit”), Grenache and Mourvedre (“pour un assemblage bien languedocien”), it is “un assemblage bien languedocien” – I think you’d probably guess where it’s from pretty quickly. This is country wine, and even if it’s a good example – flavours of dark berries and herbs, length on the good side of medium – it’s not brilliantly refined. The Wine Society priced it about right at the £7ish level.