Domaine de Villemajou Corbieres 2000

Varietal: Blended Red Wine (Syrah; Carginan; Grenache; Mourvedre)
Region: France
Cost: $41

Deep reddish brown in color and featuring aromas of plum, rose, violets and black fruits.  Full-flavored dark fruit on the palate that pairs well with beef, lamb, poultry, or BBQ.

Recommendations: When I got this bottle it almost seemed a shame to open it.  A 10 year old bottle of French wine doesn’t exactly find it’s way into my wine cellar every day and I kept trying to think of something special to pair it with.  Then I realized that if I kept trying to find something spectacular to enjoy it with the wine was never going to get opened.

Dark reddish-brown in color (I hate saying brown, but the complete lack of purple and the shade of red make it about the only real descriptor I can use), with subtle aromas of fruit and florals, calling this wine full-bodied would be an understatement.  The flavors of dark fruit are big and soft at the same time, and the slight tannic finish fades away as the bottle is allowed to open up – not that it needs to much.

Paired with a dinner of pasta and red sauce with some fresh herbs thrown in, the Domaine de Villemajou did a great job of neither overwhelming or being overwhelmed by the meal (I have yet to see anything or anyone be just whelmed).  After the meal it was great by itself, being full of flavor, but not demanding food to be enjoyable.

This bottle was described to me as a party wine, and I can see how it would be easy to just keep opening bottles of it while entertaining family and friends.  Bold and smooth all at once, this is a great wine for just about any meal and any company.  While I can understand that the price point may give the value wine shopper pause, it’s definitely one worth getting for a special occasion.

Special thanks to the International Wine of the Month Club for supplying the wine for this review.

About George Perry 898 Articles
A wine lover for as long as I can remember, I hope that my thoughts on wine can help others to make decisions on what they should drink as well.