Notify me
2020 Languedoc Cabrières Rouge
Selected By Kermit Lynch
Lower your nose into a glass of this inky rouge, redolent of dark fruit, black olive, and garrigue, and you know immediately where you are: the south of France. More specifically, you are in Cabrières, one of the great, underrated communes of the Languedoc, situated an hour due west of Montpellier and several hundred meters above sea level. Here, in the high-elevation hills, where the days are warm and the nights are cool, Jean-Claude Zabalia crafts this red that displays a sneaky amount of minerality and finesse despite its rustic quaffing soul.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2020 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 50% Syrah, 35% Grenache, 10% Carignan, 5% Cinsault |
Appellation: | Languedoc |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Selected by Kermit Lynch |
Winemaker: | Jean-Claude Zabalia |
Vineyard: | 30 years average, 3 ha |
Soil: | 70% Schist, 30% Clay-Limestone |
Aging: | Aged in 70% stainless steel tank, 30% wood (foudre, demi-muid, barrel) |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2016 Vin de France Vieux Ronsard
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
The fruit recalls savory plums and baked cherries. It almost feels like a cheat: getting to drink a wine with the desirable qualities of long cellaring, but in its immediate, current release.

2022 Vin de France Blanc
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Searching for something a bit funky to enliven your jaded palate? Look no further and prepare for an experience like none other.

2024 Côtes du Rhône Villages Rouge
France | Southern Rhône
We aimed for maximum drinkability: plenty of hedonistic purple-tinged fruit, along with a hint of wild herbs and lovely lavender and violet notes.

2024 Vin de Pays de Vaucluse Rouge
France | Southern Rhône
Hailing from a parcel of co-planted vines adjacent to the family home, these varieties were planted together with the express purpose of making the house rouge, the everyday vibrant and juicy drink you’d bring to the table in a jug and drink out of a cup.

2018 Vin de France “Grenache Oxydatif”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
At once similarly saline and nutty as vin jaune or sherry, but also singular and standalone in its notes of watermelon flesh and rind.

2021 Corbières Rouge “Campagnès”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
100% Carignan from very old vines with immense depth but the immediate drinkability of a Cru Beaujolais.

2024 Vin de Pays de Vaucluse Blanc
France | Southern Rhône
This refreshing blend of Chardonnay and Viognier brings aromas of fresh sun-kissed peaches and cleansing rainwater.

2020 Pic Saint Loup Rouge “Cupa Numismae”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
It’s dense, noble, with grip and grit, the kind of cuvée that could generate a lot of awe and attention... and also a much higher price tag.

2020 Gard Rouge “Clausus”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
This wine is full of fresh Grenache fruit, beautifully perfumed, with a refined and elegant finish.

2023 Côtes du Rhône Rouge
France | Southern Rhône
A fresh, pure entry point to the Rhône’s great reds with aromas and flavors of black cherries, stones, and a hint of black olive.

About The Producer
Selected by Kermit Lynch
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
2021 Corbières Rouge “Campagnès”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Faugères “Jadis”
Domaine Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Collioure Rouge “Puig Ambeille”
Domaine de la Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2024 Collioure Rosé des Roches
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Languedoc Blanc “Les Cocalières”
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc “Aupilhac”
Domaine d'Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Pic Saint Loup Rouge “Cupa Numismae”
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Cap de Creus “Ranci Sec”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2023 Banyuls “Rimage”
Domaine de la Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Collioure Rouge “La Pinède”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Corbières Rosé “Gris de Gris” MAGNUM
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Corbières “Rozeta”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Corbières Rouge “Campagnès”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Faugères “Jadis”
Domaine Leon Barral France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Collioure Rouge “Puig Ambeille”
Domaine de la Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2024 Collioure Rosé des Roches
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Languedoc Blanc “Les Cocalières”
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc “Aupilhac”
Domaine d'Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Pic Saint Loup Rouge “Cupa Numismae”
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Cap de Creus “Ranci Sec”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2023 Banyuls “Rimage”
Domaine de la Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Collioure Rouge “La Pinède”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Corbières Rosé “Gris de Gris” MAGNUM
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Corbières “Rozeta”
Maxime Magnon France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
You don’t have to be rich to cellar a great wine.