La Colombette Vin de France Cabernet Noir

A new French red made from Cabernet Noir, a resistant grape variety.

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Taste

Ripe blackberry and blackcurrant

Aroma

Rich summer pudding with violet and earthy forest floor

Domaine La Colombette, Languedoc-Roussillon, France

2023
75cl
12%

Cabernet Noir

Product Code: EFB107

Description

A southern French red made from Cabernet Noir, a resistant grape crossed between Cabernet Sauvignon and a vitis varietal. These resistant grapes (aka ‘PIWI’ varieties) have been created so winegrowers can completely avoid the use of chemical sprays for diseases, including copper and sulphur-based sprays too. The multi-faceted flavour profile of this red from fourth generation winemakers Domaine La Colombette is of forest berries, violet and ripe blackcurrants to name a few. Also made with the addition of no added sulphur, this organic red is clean, lively and succulent on the palate, and most appealing and easy to drink too.

Featured by Tom Cannavan, “Developed in Switzerland, Cabernet Sauvignon has been crossed with an undisclosed disease-resistant variety. This is both organic and ‘no added sulphur’, opening with a fairly high-toned, floral and Beaujolais-like character as well as some juicy blackcurrant. In the mouth it is smooth and again, so reminiscent of a good Beaujolais village, with a sappy edge to black fruits, gentle acidity but a nicely crisp and refreshing acidity. I would chill this ideally, for a very pleasant summer red with its 12.5% alcohol.” (2023 vintage)

About the Estate

Domaine La Colombette is located at the gates of Bezier facing the Mediterranean Sea in France’s Languedoc region. It has been run as a family estate for four generations, and is now largely run by Francois Pugibet and his son Vincent. They're impressive innovators in the areas of alcohol reduction in wine, and especially these days in the development of new resistant grape varieties that allow not only organic pesticide free viticulture, but also sulphur and copper exclusion too. These new grape varieties are also known as ‘PIWI’ varieties, which, having been developed in Germany, is an abbreviation of the term 'Pilzwiderstandsfähige Reben'. These grapes have come from multiple crossings of traditional varieties with more hardy and wild ‘vitis’ versions and show particularly strong resistance to the vine diseases powdery and downy mildew. The work is slow, precise and laborious, and has taken many years to perfect. The outstanding results of these varietals are now clear in the wines we have chosen to list from Domaine La Colombette, where you will discover original flavours and surprising richness. As the Pugibet family say, "what a pleasure it is to be able to cultivate the vines with just sun and rainwater”. With climate change increasingly causing more difficult conditions for winegrowers, we are sure to see more resistant variety (PIWI) wines enter the market.