Château Combel-la-Serre - Côtes du Lot La Vigne Juste Derrière Chez Carbo 2022

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

When Jean-Pierre Ilbert left the cooperative winery in 1998, he founded Château Combel La Serre. To promote the estate, the family traveled extensively throughout France. The turning point came in 2011 when his son Julien and his wife Sophie decided to switch to organic farming (certification obtained in 2013). Together, they breathed new life into this 26-hectare estate. As in Burgundy, everything revolves around plot selection, highlighting the distinct terroirs they believe in so strongly, and creating stylish cuvées with modern labels. The grape varieties are traditional for the reds, more unconventional for the whites, featuring Vermentino and Albariño, which they particularly favor. The wines’ style is precise, fruit-forward, and clearly expressive of the terroir. This close-knit couple channels their ambition and enthusiasm into their wines.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

As charming as ever, the handsome La Vigne—located just behind Carbo—has underlying fruitiness, but unlike last year, we prefer the firm, robust structure of the Auxerrois made from whole-cluster fermentation.

About the estate:

Julien Ilbert and his wife Sophie are the driving force behind this vineyard, whose existence has been documented since 1900. Breaking with his father’s approach, Julien shifted the focus to bottling; he set out to forge a new identity, adorning his various bottles with striking, modern labels. His vintages are gaining in stature year after year. He draws the best from the 23 hectares planted with Auxerrois—the local name for Malbec—as well as his Vermentinos and Albarinos, southern grape varieties that find here a terroir and climate perfectly suited to them. Alongside the single-vineyard wines Le Lac aux Cochons (iron-rich limestone soil), Au Cerisier (red clay), and Les Peyres Levades (limestone), he is introducing new bottles to the range that mark the remarkable evolution of the Cahors vineyard.