CHATEAU ETANG DES COLOMBES

CHATEAU ETANG DES COLOMBES – 11200 Lezignan-Corbières

The first time I came in contact with this wine-yard was because of their very fancy rosé-bottles. They are of that kind many people save and have for decoration. Some restaurants use the empty bottles to serve ordinary water as they are so decorative.

I have also several times been drinking their top red cuvé – Bois de Dames and appreciated it very much. The other day our neighbors served us the last bottle from the year 2000 and I opened it with few expectations – it is a 13 years old wine for 10 euros. It was excellent with, typically enough for an old Corbières, tastes of chocolate and tobacco and also quite a lot of soft tannins left.

At a restaurant yesterday I ordered their traditional white wine made from Grenache blanc, Bourboulenc and Maccabeu. It was fruity and dry as a good not oaked wine should be.

Today I went to the wine-yard and bought one case of each. Despite it is just 15 minutes from my home it was my first visit. If I had not tried the wines before I might however not have bought any red. The wine I was given to taste came from a bottle that had been open for four days and was not at its best. The salesperson obviously did not think I would notice the difference.  When I commented on it he was quite embarrassed.

WEB: http://www.etangdescolombes.com

CHATEAU GRAND MOULIN

CHATEAU GRAND MOULIN -  RN 113, 6,Bd Maréchal Galliéni 11200 LEZIGNAN CORBIERES

This vine-yard was originally located on the banks of river Orbieu just outside Luc sur Orbieu, but in the great flood 1999 all the premises were destroyed, so they have now moved production and wine shop to Lezignan-Corbières. The selections of varieties they grow are larger than most producers in the area. The base is the typical verities for Corbières wine - Syrah, Carignan, Grenache noir, Mourvèdre, but they also grow Cinsault, Vermentino, Maccabeu, Grenache blanc and more. All these are old verities that go into the white and rosé wines of AOP Corbières.

Also typical for the area, this is mainly a producer of red wine. The prestige cuvee is their Cru Corbières Boutenac, which is a wine worth getting a few cases of as it is of outmost quality and accepts many years in your cellar, where it matures in a fine way. The most powerful wine though is a traditional AOP Corbières that grows on the red soil in the little village Conhilhac. The name of this wine is logically enough Terres Rouges and is matured on oak. They also produce a number of other AOP Corbières wine, one from very old vine. All harvest for the red wine is done by hand, which is a must for AOP Corbières Boutenac. They also produce two white wines and one rosé.