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2018 Corbières Rouge “Campagnès”
Maxime MagnonGrowing up in Burgundy without access to family-owned vineyards presents quite the challenge to the aspiring vigneron. The prohibitive cost of land makes it virtually impossible for any start-up domaine to get established, leaving would-be producers little choice but to look elsewhere for opportunity.
Deep in the Hautes-Corbières, a wildly hilly region of the Languedoc midway between Narbonne and Perpignan, a young Maxime Magnon stumbled upon a treasure: ancient vineyard parcels in steep, rocky soils destined to be abandoned, as local farmers were unwilling to break their backs to eke out tiny yields of wine that would ultimately get lost in the town co-op’s generic blend. Aware that he would never be able to find—or afford—something like this in his homeland of Burgundy, Maxime seized the opportunity and bought the vineyards, immediately going organic.
Today, he has redefined what is possible in this rugged part of the southern French countryside, crafting wines of vibrancy and grace from forgotten vineyard parcels that only needed the right caretaker to express their true character. Campagnès is Maxime’s greatest red, a century-old field blend of mostly Carignan that is fermented whole-cluster and bottled unfiltered with very little sulfur. He counts Allemand, Barral, and Lapierre among his strongest influences, and it shows—this drinks like great cru Beaujolais infused with southern soul.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Field blend of 95% Carignan; also Grenache, Syrah, Grenache Gris, Macabou, Terret |
Appellation: | Corbières |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Maxime Magnon |
Vineyard: | Over 100 years old |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 14% |
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About The Producer
Maxime Magnon
About The Region
Languedoc-Roussillon
Ask wine drinkers around the world, and the word “Languedoc” is sure to elicit mixed reactions. On the one hand, the region is still strongly tied to its past as a producer of cheap, insipid bulk wine in the eyes of many consumers. On the other hand, it is the source of countless great values providing affordable everyday pleasure, with an increasing number of higher-end wines capable of rivaling the best from other parts of France.
While there’s no denying the Languedoc’s checkered history, the last two decades have seen a noticeable shift to fine wine, with an emphasis on terroir. Ambitious growers have sought out vineyard sites with poor, well draining soils in hilly zones, curbed back on irrigation and the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and looked to balance traditional production methods with technological advancements to craft wines with elegance, balance, and a clear sense of place. Today, the overall quality and variety of wines being made in the Languedoc is as high as ever.
Shaped like a crescent hugging the Mediterranean coast, the region boasts an enormous variety of soil types and microclimates depending on elevation, exposition, and relative distance from the coastline and the cooler foothills farther inland. While the warm Mediterranean climate is conducive to the production of reds, there are world-class whites and rosés to be found as well, along with stunning dessert wines revered by connoisseurs for centuries.
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Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171