2018 Château Croix d'Aumedes Cuvee Reserve Corbières France 750 ml

Over the past year, we’ve had to think twice about what day it is, but we haven’t had to think twice about which wine to drink. For less than the standard price of a glass of wine at your favorite spot, you can have an entire bottle of the extravagant 97-point Croix d’Aumedes Cuvée Réserve… which pairs perfectly with everything from extravagant Michelin-starred takeout to pizza. 

The 2018 Cuvée Réserve is decadent, bold, and positively generous. Ripe cherry and raspberry aromas bound from the glass, along with aromatic lavender and Mediterranean garrigue. The juicy red fruit takes center stage thanks to Carignan, Syrah, and Grenache from 70-year-old vines, and there is a nuanced, savory component—rich with leather, smoked meat, and umami—that entices from stony, mineral depths. As Decanter wrote, it’s “so easy to drink that you almost overlook those complexities—but they'll keep you coming back for more.” 

In addition to its 97-point pedigree, the 2018 Cuvée Réserve offers maximum value—Corbières is a gold mine for overachieving reds, if you know where to look. At this price, the Cuvée Réserve practically obliges you to up the ante on dinner. And that’s exactly what we did. 

The Cuvée Réserve’s boldness and succulence make it an excellent pairing with just about any cured or slow-cooked meat, but its spice-tinged umami side works wonders with something a little more out of the box: Peking duck. We chose Michelin-starred Mister Jiu’s Liberty Farms duck, arguably the best in San Francisco, and two bottles of Cuvée Réserve made up less than a quarter of the meal's cost!

Grown in the heart of Corbières on a mix of clay and limestone soils where a Roman villa once stood, the ancient vines of Château Croix d’Aumedes eke out equal parts concentration and juiciness. The Carignan undergoes carbonic maceration in order to preserve a stunning purity of fruit, anchoring the blend at 40%, while Syrah and Grenache amount to 30% each, adding spice, savory depth, and suppleness. 

There’s no way this should go for under $20. The 2018 Château Croix d’Aumedes is the exception to the rule—like ordering Michelin-starred takeout on a Tuesday, something we’ll never regret and won’t soon forget.