Dom. des Carabiniers Syrah

The Wine... Christian Leperchois runs an excellent estate in the southern Rhone valley of France. I expect the masterful red and rose he crafts from the AOCs of Lirac and Tavel respectively pay the rent here (we sell both, if you're interested), but Leperchois' tasty little inexpensive wines initially drew my interest. Really pure flavors of the grape, dark and cool, a little spicy. I'd pair this wine with a pizza topped with fresh rosemary, not too briny black olives ideally from Provence, and rounds of fresh mozzarella.

The Land... Lirac and Tavel are at the summit of quality according to the heirarchy of appellations of the southern Rhone, in a top tier that they share with the towns of Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas and Vacqueras. The 1,000+ acres of hilly Lirac that is planted to vines looks out across the Rhone river at famous Chateauneuf du Pape. It is not surprising that Christian Leperchois decided to farm naturally (all wines at this estate are certified organic by Eco-Cert.) Growers here must know they are lucky. The natural advantages of this land for grape cultivation are obvious to anyone with a passing knowledge of viticulture. Why not let terroir take center stage?

The History... Vines have been farmed here since Roman times. The region of Lirac, a sub-zone of the Gard, has been famous for the exceptional quality of its wines for over 400 years. This is an arid place, a region where low yields of grapes come naturally. The flavors of wine from this region are typically broad, generous: in exceptional vintages this part of the Rhone offers us as good a value as any place in France.