Following up from my last post, here is another red blend from the Corbières region in France. Domaine Lignères was established in 1957 and has expanded over the years.  It is owned and operated by a family full of medical practitioners and scientists. Seriously, the family that runs this vineyard includes two general practitioners, a pharmacist, a dentist and a biologist.  In 2002, they started working with Italian wine consultant Stefano Chioccioli and the partnership has resulted in outstanding results.

Philosophically, they strive to extract the characteristics of the terroir where their grapes are grown and Chioccioli helps them bring that to life.

They have several different wines available, most of which are slightly more pricey than I usually purchase.  But I was lucky enough to find this one for $15.

The blend in this wine consists of 60% Carignan, 25% Mourvèdre and 15% Syrah. To me, this comes across as a new world style wine that is very fruit-forward—more so than I would expect from a wine from this region.  The nose is mostly fruit, showing cherries, plum, blackberry and a bit of licorice.  There is very little of the earthy aromas you often find in French wines aside from a hint of straw.  The palate is also rich and fruit-filled.  Blackberry and plum dominate the palate and carry you into hints of chocolate covered cherries on the mid-palate and a slightly spicy finish.  Overall, it’s a very good wine.

Wine: Domaine Lignères – Aric
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 90
Price: $14.99