Deep ruby-garnet color; raspberry, cranberry, blackcurrant, blackberry, cherry, licorice, juniper, black pepper, chocolate on the nose and palate.
Dry; smooth tannins; moderate acidity; medium body. Blend of 65% carignan, 20% mourvèdre, 15% syrah from Corbières AOC. Certified organic by Ecocert France SAS. Grapes hand-picked. Carignan and mourvèdre whole cluster fermented, syrah destemmed. Aged six months in stainless steel tanks. 13.5% ABV
Château de Luc is the home of the Fabre family: Louis, Claire, and their children. It is the central office for their multiple wineries (there are five). Château de Luc vineyards are located on the rocky terraces of the Orbieu River and the windy foothills of Mount Alaric. The winery includes underground cellars dating back to the 1300s. Old stables have been converted into a tasting cellar.
The Famille Fabre wine tradition in Languedoc-Roussillon stretches back 14 generations —since 1605. They turned to organic farming in 1991. The château’s motto is “Terroir et équilibre”—“terroir and balance.” This effort qualifies. Excellent for what it is—an everyday, versatile table wine.
Carignan has a checkered history. In the 1970s it was the most-planted wine grape in France, concentrated in the Languedoc-Roussillon (where this effort was made). The vines are particularly prolific, especially when young, which helped produce France’s “wine lake” of inferior wine. Huge amounts of the wine immediately were distilled to make industrial products. The region’s reputation is still recovering, but recovering it is. Producers pruned vines and, especially, leaned on older vines—vines that were the problem 50 years ago—that produce less fruit and higher quality fruit.
Famille Fabre Château de Luc Corbières Les Jumelles Red 2020 is smooth, tasty, versatile, easy drinking, everyday table wine. Great QPR (quality-price ratio). Complex, layered, nuanced—no. Fun to drink and red fruit delicious—yes. Made by a family that has farmed the land and made wine from its grapes for 14 generations. They know what they are doing. Pair with grilled, braised beef; beef brisket; smokey meats; cinnamon-spicy dishes; turkey—smoked turkey; duck; lamb—spicy lamb meatballs; roasted pork—baby back ribs; certainly works for comfort food—meatloaf, chicken-fried steak, pizza, burgers, beef stew. Cheese—gouda, aged gouda, parmesan, young manchego. $9-11
