2021 Domaine de Fontsainte Corbières Rouge ‘Réserve La Demoiselle’

It is hard not to open the  Corbières Demoiselle, smell the garrigue, spices, and notes of dark fruit and olives soar from your glass, and think, “Only from the Languedoc can we drink a wine made from century-old vines with this much class and ageability for the price of two matinée movie tickets.” This grippy rouge comes from Domaine de Fontsainte’s most famous parcel called “La Demoiselle,” which the Laboucarié family has farmed since the early 1970s. In 2004, the Carignan vines in that vineyard—planted in silica, clay, and limestone, and responsible for the majority of this wine—turned one hundred. 60% Carignan, 30% Grenache Noir, 10% Mourvédre. Farming is sustainable (HVE certified). 60% of the wine ages 8-12 months in French oak barrels, with the remainder in cement tank.

The 2022 Corbières rouge is as complete and consistent as ever, with notes of black cherries, blackberries, and garrigue. This wine is a meal unto itself, but it will pair beautifully with a wide range of grilled meats and vegetables. Full bodied, lush and structured, this drinks like a wine easily twice its price.

Yves Laboucarié’s family has been making wine here since the seventeenth century, and the estate is now run by his son Bruno. Like his father, one of the first vignerons working with whole cluster fermentation in the region, he believes strongly in the family’s legacy of innovation. He has re-equipped the cellars, replanted new vines, and even added new cuvées. The Fontsainte vineyards surround the hamlet of Boutenac in the area known as “The Golden Crescent.” This swath of land is one of the sunniest in the appellation of Corbières, enjoying south-southeast exposure, and protection from the cold, northeast winds by a large 500-hectare forest. The cooler sea breezes from the Mediterranean help this sun-soaked terroir achieve balance as well. Like many of the vignerons that we work with, Bruno believes that “great wines are made in the vineyard” and less in the cellars. He farms the land sustainably and keeps treatments to a minimum. Silica, clay, and limestone dominate the subsoil of Fontsainte’s vineyards.