Notify me
2016 Corbières Rouge “Réserve La Demoiselle”
Domaine de FontsainteWith all the undeservedly overpriced wine on the market today, it’s easy to say we’ve found a great deal. Nevertheless, Fontsainte’s Demoiselle takes “value” to the next level: a time-tested terroir and generations of savoir faire yield hedonistic drinkability, uncommon complexity, and long-term cellaring potential, all at an unchanging and quite accessible cost. Century-old Carignan with a hearty dollop of Grenache and Mourvèdre is responsible for this dark, meaty, garrigue-ridden stallion. If past vintages are any indicator, you’ll want to enjoy this today, tomorrow, and much farther down the line.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2016 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 60% Carignan, 30% Grenache Noir, 10% Mourvédre |
Appellation: | Corbiéres |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Domaine de Fontsainte |
Winemaker: | Bruno Laboucarié |
Vineyard: | Carignan Planted in 1904 |
Soil: | Silica, clay, limestone (gravelly with large galets, or rounded stones) |
Aging: | 60% of wine ages 8-12 months in French oak barrels, remainder in cement tank |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14% |
More from this Producer or Region
2022 Vin de France Blanc “L'Estrade”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Corbières Rouge “Réserve La Demoiselle”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Hailing from the rugged and windswept hills of Corbières, which teem with garrigue and olive groves, La Demoiselle delivers a glorious taste of the South.
2020 Languedoc Montpeyroux Rouge
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Proof that a great site and honest farming are key to genuine, long-lived wines.
2021 Corbières Rouge
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
The accents of herbal garrigue and vineyard stones offer just enough earthy terroir to counterbalance the chewy black fruit and mouth-coating wild brambleberry, making this bargain red the right bottle to uncork at any which moment.
2022 Languedoc Blanc
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Lately you may have noticed a rise in freshness, a burst in aromatics, and a softness of texture in La Roque’s wines.
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Saint Jacques”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Equal parts Grenache, Carignan, and Mourvèdre, this boasts all of Maxime’s trademark elegance and silkiness.
2020 Vin de France “Le Carignan”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Old vines give this Carignan a supple, suede-like texture, along with loads of dark fruit, a peaty smokiness, and great minerality.
2022 Corbières Rosé “Gris de Gris”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Its peachy-pink hue hints at what’s to come: orchard fruits and brambly wild berries, grapefruit and wet slate after a summer rain! A staple wine I can’t live without.
2022 Pic Saint Loup Rosé
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
May Chevalier ~ Its intense aromatics brazenly translate the Pic’s rugged nature, and an almost chewable minerality brings to mind slabs of shattered limestone incarnated as energy, drive, and uncommon length on the palate.
2022 Corbières Rosé “Gris de Gris” MAGNUM
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
This crisp and succulent vin gris is a guaranteed thirst-quencher.
About The Producer
Domaine de Fontsainte
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.
More from Languedoc-Roussillon or France
2020 Pic Saint Loup Rouge “Sainte Agnès”
Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Saint Jacques”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Monts de la Grage Blanc
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Vin de Pays Memoire “d’Automnes”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Banyuls “Reserva”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint Loup “Tour de Pierres”
Héritage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Vin de France “Le Carignan”
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Terrasses du Larzac Rouge
Les Vignes Oubliées France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Collioure Rouge “Puig Ambeille”
Domaine de la Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Pays d’Oc Rouge “Les Vieilles Vignes de Mourvèdre”
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Languedoc Rouge “Lou Maset”
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Pic Saint Loup Rouge “Sainte Agnès”
Ermitage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Vin de France Rouge “Saint Jacques”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Monts de la Grage Blanc
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Vin de Pays Memoire “d’Automnes”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Banyuls “Reserva”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint Loup “Tour de Pierres”
Héritage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Vin de France “Le Carignan”
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Terrasses du Larzac Rouge
Les Vignes Oubliées France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Collioure Rouge “Puig Ambeille”
Domaine de la Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Pays d’Oc Rouge “Les Vieilles Vignes de Mourvèdre”
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Languedoc Rouge “Lou Maset”
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Kermit once said...
Kermit once said...
For the wines that I buy I insist that the winemaker leave them whole, intact. I go into the cellars now and select specific barrels or cuvées, and I request that they be bottled without stripping them with filters or other devices. This means that many of our wines will arrive with a smudge of sediment and will throw a more important deposit as time goes by, It also means the wine will taste better.