Lot 823 2020 Corbières Red Blend
An absolute powerhouse Corbieres, at an unbeatable price! A great Corbières red is easy to love; the robustness, exotic spiciness, and succulent red fruit profile can be like scoring a killer Châteauneuf-du-Pape at half the price. What’s not easy is actually finding a great one for under $45 that is available in the U.S.
As one of the most prominent and productive regions of Languedoc-Roussillon, Corbières is a difficult region for most wine lovers to navigate. Few people have the kind of time required to scour the area’s 2,000+ growers, 300+ producers, and 33,000+ acres of vineyard plantings (all spread across some of the most diverse soil types in all of France) to search for its very best bets. But that’s where we come in! Let’s introduce you to Lot 823 2020 Corbieres Red.
We’ve done the hard work for you on this one, jumping on a rare opportunity for an absolute powerhouse Corbieres, at an unbeatable price. What’s also rare about this find is that instead of being made like the region’s Grenache-dominant reds, Lot 823 has a backbone of primarily Syrah. That gives it an immediately enticing nose: pretty, peppery, and full of precision. It’s the kind of balance between beauty and brawn that you usually only find in much more expensive Syrah/Grenache blends from boutique California producers or perhaps from the most storied Rhône appellations.
Lot 823 oozes from the glass with a chewy, bold palate, flexing its dark-fruited muscles while fascinating the intellect with the telltale local Languedoc-Roussillon “garrigue” character of dried herbs and flowers. This red’s not for the faint of heart, and real Corbières fans certainly wouldn’t have it any other way. If there’s a better pick to match with hearty winter BBQ, we’ve yet to encounter it at this price point.
Watch as Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes walks us through a tasting.
Wine Tasting Video Highlights:
- 00:00 Introduction
- 00:15 Corbières Grapes
- 00:24 South of France
- 00:46 Color and Structure
- 00:52 On the Nose
- 01:35 The Taste
- 02:19 Where does it fit in your cellar?
UNDERSTANDING AOC LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON