2016 Famille Fabre • Corbieres Boutenac Chateau Fabre Gasparets Lieu-Dit La Serre
Rating 90
Drink Date 2020 – 2025
Aged 18 months in barrel, the 2016 Corbieres Boutenac Chateau Fabre Gasparets Lieu-Dit La Serre remains inky dark and intense. On the nose, it offers up hints of vanilla, cedar and super ripe plums. In the mouth, the wine is medium to full-bodied and surprisingly elegant, despite suggestions of surmaturité. It’s smooth and supple in feel, marked by flavors of plum, licorice and dark chocolate on the finish. Certified organic.
Élevé 18 mois en barrique, le Corbières Boutenac Château Fabre Gasparets Lieu-Dit La Serre 2016 reste encre noire et intense. Au nez, il offre des notes de vanille, de cèdre et de prunes très mûres. En bouche, le vin est mi-corsé à corsé et étonnamment élégant, malgré des suggestions de surmaturité. Il est doux et souple au toucher, marqué par des saveurs de prune, de réglisse et de chocolat noir en finale. Certifié biologique.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2017 Famille Fabre • Corbieres-Boutenac Chateau Fabre Gasparets
Rating 90
Drink Date 2020 – 2026
Not as plush or opulent as I remember the 2015 being, the 2017 Corbieres-Boutenac Chateau Fabre Gasparets is a suave, relatively elegant example of Boutenac, with red raspberry notes joined by restrained cedar, hints of dried spices and garrigue. It’s medium to full-bodied, with supple, silky tannins and a lingering finish. It should drink well for several years.
Pas aussi opulent que je me souviens de 2015, le Corbieres-Boutenac Chateau Fabre Gasparets est un exemple suave et relativement élégant de Boutenac, avec des notes de framboise rouge rejointes par du cèdre sobre, des notes d’épices séchées et de garrigue. Il est puissant, avec des tanins souples et soyeux et une finale persistante. Il devrait bien se déguster pendant encore plusieurs années.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2019 Famille Fabre • IGP Pays d’Oc Tour de Rieux l’Instant Rare Cinsault
Rating 88
Drink Date 2020 – 2021
The 2019 IGP Pays d’Oc Tour de Rieux l’Instant Rare Cinsault is just the sort of light to medium-bodied red that summertime casual dining requires. It’s scented with cherries and dried spices, boasts silky, diaphanous tannins and finishes crisp. No, it’s not rich or profound, but it’s certified organic, cheerful and reasonably complex, and that should count for a lot these days.
L’IGP Pays d’Oc Tour de Rieux l’Instant Rare Cinsault 2019 est exactement le type de rouge léger que les repas décontractés d’été nécessitent. Il est parfumé de cerises et d’épices séchées, possède des tanins soyeux et diaphanes et des finitions croquantes. Non, ce n’est pas riche ou profond, mais il est certifié biologique, sympatique et raisonnablement complexe, et cela devrait compter beaucoup ces jours-ci.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2018 Famille Fabre • Pays d’Oc Equilibre Cabernet Sauvignon
Rating 86
Drink Date 2020 – 2023
Certified organic and no-sulfur-added, the 2018 Pays d’Oc Equilibre Cabernet Sauvignon is deep and dark in color. Cassis notes, with dark earth and chocolate undercurrents, suggest a relatively warm climate, but otherwise, this is fairly steady stuff. It’s medium to full-bodied, with soft tannins and a just a bit of Cabernet’s herbal character on the finish.
Certifié biologique et sans soufre, le Cabernet Sauvignon Pays d’Oc Equilibre 2018 offre une robe profonde et foncée. Les notes de cassis, avec des courants de terre sombre et de chocolat, suggèrent un climat relativement chaud, mais sinon, c’est tout à fait stable. Assez puissant, avec des tanins souples et quelquesnotes herbacées de Cabernet en finale.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2019 Famille Fabre • IGP Pays d’Oc Grande Courtade l’Instant Rare Chardonnay
Rating 85
Drink Date 2020
Hints of grilled pineapple and peach mark the nose of the certified-organic 2019 IGP Pays d’Oc Grande Courtade l’Instant Rare Chardonnay. It’s a plump, medium-bodied offering with a slightly pulpy-custardy feel on the palate and a quick finish.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2019 Famille Fabre • Corbieres Rose Chateau de Luc
Rating 84
Drink Date 2020
The certified-organic 2019 Corbieres Rose Chateau de Luc is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. A pale flamingo in color, it offers up attractive notes of red currants, strawberries and citrus. Light to medium-bodied, it lacks concentration, finishing clean and refreshing but short.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2019 Famille Fabre • Corbières Château Coulon Eole
Rating 86
Drink Date 2020 – 2022
A preview of the 2019 vintage, the 2019 Corbières Château Coulon Eole is a brash, grapey expression of the appellation, boasting blackberry and mulberry fruit up front and hints of licorice and mocha on the finish. It’s full-bodied but lacks a bit of richness on the mid-palate,
then fades quickly on the finish.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2018 Famille Fabre • Corbières Blanc Château de Luc
Rating 87
Drink Date 2020
The certified-organic 2018 Corbières Blanc Château de Luc is a plump, mouth-filling blend of Roussanne and Grenache Blanc. Medium to full-bodied, it offers flavors of pear, pineapple and tangerine, then finishes with a subtle, refreshing note of chalk dust on the finish. Drink up over the rest of 2020.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2017 Famille Fabre • Corbières Blanc Château Coulon
Rating 87
Drink Date 2018 – 2019
A round, full-bodied southern white, the 2017 Corbieres Blanc Chateau Coulon Made with Organic Grapes offers up hints of stone fruit, plenty of ripe melon flavors and some dry, stony notes on the lingering finish. No, it’s not terribly complex, but it’s mouth filling and refreshing at the same, not an easy trick to pull off.
2019 Famille Fabre • IGP Pays d’Oc Grande Courtade l’Instant Rare Chardonnay
Rating 85
Drink Date 2020
Hints of grilled pineapple and peach mark the nose of the certified-organic 2019 IGP Pays d’Oc Grande Courtade l’Instant Rare Chardonnay. It’s a plump, medium-bodied offering with a slightly pulpy-custardy feel on the palate and a quick finish.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2018 Famille Fabre • IGP Pays d’Oc Rose Domaine Grande Courtade
Rating 85
Drink Date 2019
A blend of 50% Merlot and 25% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, the light-bodied 2018 IGP Pays d’Oc Rose Domaine Grande Courtade delivers lime and strawberry notes. It’s a bit simple but clean and correct, without too much leafiness to distract from the straightforward fruit.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2017 Fabre Gasparets Viognier Chimère
Rating 83
The certified-organic 2017 Fabre Gasparets Viognier Chimère is a polished brass color in the glass and boasts slightly tired aromas of sweet corn and canned apricots. In the mouth, it’s full-bodied and broad, with a slightly silky texture and some lingering spice and tannin on the finish. Drink up, like a year or two ago.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2017 Famille Fabre • Corbieres Chateau Coulon Cuvée Veredus
Rating 87
Drink Date 2020 – 2024
A barrel-aged, certified-organic blend of Carignan, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, the 2017 Corbieres Chateau Coulon Cuvée Veredus leads with cedary aromas, then follows those up with modest red berry fruit and spice notes. It’s medium to full-bodied, with a rich, wood-grain texture and lingering cedar on the finish.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2017 Famille Fabre • Corbieres Chateau Coulon Made with Organic Grapes
Rating 87
Drink Date 2018 – 2020
Released after only a few months of maturation, the 2017 Corbieres Chateau Coulon Made with Organic Grapes is grapey and immediate, with dominant notes of fresh berries. This medium to full-bodied wine is bold and up-front, loaded with blueberries but hinting at thyme and cardamom complexity. I’d opt to drink it over its first few years for the ebullient fruit, but it could go longer.
2018 Famille Fabre • Corbières Blanc Château de Luc
Rating 87
Drink Date 2020
The certified-organic 2018 Corbières Blanc Château de Luc is a plump, mouth-filling blend of Roussanne and Grenache Blanc. Medium to full-bodied, it offers flavors of pear, pineapple and tangerine, then finishes with a subtle, refreshing note of chalk dust on the finish. Drink up over the rest of 2020.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.
2017 Famille Fabre • Corbieres Chateau de Luc Les Jumelles
Rating 86
Drink Date 2020 – 2024
The tank-aged 2017 Corbieres Chateau de Luc Les Jumelles comes out of the chute a bit rubbery and tarry, so give it a quick decant if you’ve got the time. Dark plum and black olive notes appear with time in the glass. It’s medium-bodied, with a slightly chunky feel in the mouth and soft tannins on the finish. Certified organic.
Kudos to the Fabre family, who have made organics a hallmark of their various properties and wine brands.