2018 Chateau Cesseras La Liviniere Minervois 750 ml

If you wanted to design a landscape and climate for the express purpose of extracting wild power and savory intensity from the dark depths of Syrah, you’d end up with a piece of land that looks almost exactly like the famed La Livinière cru of France’s Languedoc.

Here are raw, cheek-reddening gusts of wind, schist-ridden soils, and scrubby foothills scented with garrigue that seem reminiscent of the more expensive vineyards of northern Rhône. But here too is the bounty of the Mediterranean sun and the dry heat and cold nights of Southern France, creating a perfect cradle for grapes brimming with health and energy.

What you won’t find is the price inflation that’s afflicted other French wine regions. There are absurdly good red-wine deals to be found here—and the 2018 Château Cesseras La Livinière is one of the best we’ve ever seen.

This flagship bottling, crafted by seventh- and eight-generation winemakers of the Ournac clan, landed a whopping 95-point score at the Decanter World Wine Awards. It’s assembled from the best parcels of the renowned village and beautifully aged in French oak barrels.

This estate has been in the same family since 1840. More recently, Pierre-Andre Ournac was among the pioneers of quality wine in La Livinière, realizing the star potential of the region’s terroir and crafting many of its best bottles.

By replanting vineyards and pursuing vinification strategies like carbonic maceration, which rounds out the blends, Ournac has pushed the envelope on power, freshness, and site transparency. Today, the estate is primarily in the hands of his son Camille and nephew Guillaume, who are taking Cesseras to even greater heights, as the Decanter World Wine Awards praise indicates.