For about 30 years now we have lived in a Golden Age of wine. That era may be coming to a close.

It was 30 years ago that Kermit Lynch started to import the Corbières of... Read More

For about 30 years now we have lived in a Golden Age of wine. That era may be coming to a close.

It was 30 years ago that Kermit Lynch started to import the Corbières of Domaine de Fontsainte. This was not the only inexpensive, artisanal wine that started to be brought in by a boutique importer via refrigerated boats, but it has always stood out to us as one of the very best examples. It may be 30 years for us Americans, but the French have been able to enjoy Fontsainte for 2000 years, as this is a vineyard site that was first planted by the Romans. Visit the area and you see immediately what attracted those foreigners: slopes angled to just the right degree and in just the right direction to keep the vines in perfect tension between the warming sun and the gently cooling breezes of the Mediterranean. A large forest borders the vineyards to their north, keeping out the more brutal continental winds. It is a special part of Corbières that merits is own AOC, “Corbières Boutenac”, though Fontsainte does not bother with the full name on its labels.