2023 Domaine La Rougeante Corbieres 750 ml

It took place in Paris’s 18ème arrondissement, on the kind of balmy September evening that beckons you to order a bottle and linger outside all night. We were at Chez Ginette, a legendary café wedged between Rues Caulaincourt and Lamarck, perched atop a staircase that looks plucked straight from a postcard.

We started with some cocktails. Then Champagne. By the time our lamb and steak frites hit the table, we’d moved on to one of the most delightful bistro reds we’ve ever had. 

We were well-libated and happy as we paid the tab and descended the stairs toward the Metro—literally steps away—when a rowdy bar dansant called Les Dessous de Ginette caught our attention. The door was wide open, the band was in the middle of a raucous version of Les Champs Elysée, and the crowd, in between swigs of wine and Kronenbourg 1664, was belting out every lyric. 

Who could pass that by? We squeezed in, ordered two more bottles of the red, made fast friends with the locals next to us, and proceeded to shut the place down.

The next morning, we thumbed through the night’s pics. Sure enough, there was the label, in a selfie with our new friends Ann-Marie and Luc: the Domaine La Rougeante Corbières.

We consider Corbières the epicenter of red wine value in Southern France, offering even more pleasure-per-dollar than you can get in the Rhône. This bottle shows off the expertise of winemaker Claude Gros, known for his work at Chateau de La Négly—one of the most renowned wines in the Languedoc. Jeb Dunnuck calls Gros “one of the most talented, yet least known top consultants in the wine world today.”