Corbieres La Compagnon Domaine Ledogar 2018/19

Corbieres La Compagnon Domaine Ledogar 2019, organic/biodynamic, Grenache blend, very low sulphites added, stainless ferment aims at fresh fruits and garrigue characters, get the chops on the BBQ! These Southern French reds remind me of the glory days as a 16 year old holidaying in 30 degree heat with the family and drinking wine which my Dad was so chuffed only cost 10 francs a litre (£1 if you can believe it). As a kid you always think the wine was great even if it was gut rot. Things have changed a bit in the Languedoc since then and it is now one the spiritual homes of the natural wine movement with hundreds of small artisans knocking out some outstanding reds from their few hectares of old vines. The Ledogars have to be in the top drawer of these producers and their Corbieres is benchmark, full, dark fruits, spices, herbs, notes of animal leather and all things country. No oak, just pure grape and super fresh. Excellent.

Domaine Ledogar is a 22 hectares estate on the Terroir of Corbieres Boutenac – near Carcasonne – laboured on by two brothers Xavier and Mathieu, winemakers for 4 generations. Xavier Ledogar, who has always loved nature, started working in the vineyards when he was 12. In 1997 he took over the Domaine on his own and built a new cellar to start making his own wine rather than selling the fruit to the cooperative in the age old French peasant tradition. From the outset, Xavier has been committed to Biodynamic production, eschewing all chemical and mechanical inputs to the point that they even use horses and donkeys for ploughing and natural weed killers! Pure wines of great character are the result, a must try for lovers of southern French wines.