~US$30, 100% Syrah, Corbieres France

Months ago, I tried the Ligneres Aric, a blended wine from Southern France that brought serious barnyard funk at a fairly steep price. When I saw the estates’s top wine on sale, the Notre Dame (100% Syrah) I figured the domaine was worth another try. Glad I did.

The 2002 vintage is generally considered a poor one in Southern France, especially parts of Bordeaux and the Rhone (Burgundy and the Loire seemed to avoid the rains of doom, somehow) - but you wouldn’t know it by tasting the Notre Dame. The nose speaks of big red fruit blended with dried herbs, pepper, and leather. A sexy balance of old and new-world styles and flavors. The palate is very polished and lush - it’s one of those wines that just hit on all the cylinders and its hard to find fault with. The finish shows a good bit of oak spice, but a pleasant bitterness lifts what could’ve been a too saccharine finish. 13.5% ABV = Thank you very much. Perfectly integrated tannins make for a big, delicious and balanced Syrah - the bottle was gone before I could dive any deeper into the flavors. I’d put this up against any similarly priced California Syrah, especially in terms of distinctiveness, balance, and palate.