Combe Rocher Reserve Syrah

Who said you have to pay heaps for a good French red? Not us and definitely not Master of Wine Steve Bennett whose made a career out of travelling the globe and finding spectacular wine bargains to bring back to NZ. He makes finding great value European wine as easy as ABC.

Here’s three more letters – LGI. It’s the brainchild of Frenchman Alain Grignon from the Languedoc region in the south of France. Alain’s vision was to produce wine for the international market that offered great bang for your buck. Winner of “Best French Still Wine Producer” of the year at the prestigious Berliner Wein Trophy three years running in 2017, 2018 and 2019 – magnifique!

Combe Rocher literally means ‘Rocky Valley’ and is named after the high altitude, rocky soil vineyards in the south of France that produce the Combe Rocher range.

And this got the tick of approval from another Master of Wine Bob Campbell who rated this 91/100 and picked it as his Buy of the Week in December 2022. Bob said “A core of sweet fruit is perfectly balanced by fine, drying tannins to give a pleasantly dry, peppery finish. Simple, pleasing wine with ripe cherry, floral/red rose, black pepper and mixed spice characters. Smooth-textured red with a lingering finish. Good value at this price ($25).”

A great style to pair alongside grilled red meats, pasta and hard cheeses.