Did you deplete your supply of wine over the holidays? Not to worry! Today we have an exciting French country red from the Kermit Lynch portfolio.

Made from 100+ year-old vines, this rustic, untamed red comes from a sixth generation family estate in Corbières, and we are more than a bit obsessed with its distinctive, Rhône-like ferality.

At other stores the 2021 Fontsainte "Réserve La Demoiselle" is a hot value at its typical $22 price. Today, thanks to a special year-end buy, it flies for just fifteen bucks!

Read on for our tasting notes, and for an equally exciting opportunity on the 2023 Lionel Faury "Les 3 Brunes" Côte-Rôtie, then click the Big Green Button to get in on the action.

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2021 Domaine de Fontsainte "Réserve La Demoiselle"
Corbières, Languedoc, France
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We've adored the wine from Domaine de Fontsainte for nearly three decades. Until recently, we have only worked with their wonderful entry tier red. Today, we take things to the next level and bring you their Réserve bottling. Oddly, though, our price on it is lower than you'll normally pay for the regular!

“We make no secret of why we have been working with them since 1978. In their lovely part of France, year in and year out, they are the best. The fairness of their pricing allows us to offer incredible values to our clientele.”
Kermit Lynch, Importer

Their "Réserve La Demoiselle" comes from a five hectare site featuring 100-year old Carignan growing in red rock limestone soil.. The final blend of 60% Carignan, 30% Grenache Noir and 10% Mourvèdre is like traveling back in a time machine. (The family actually found a coin dating from the time of Marcus Agrippa in 25 A.D. in the vineyard!)

With dark berries, olive, smoke and dusty red earth, this soulful and hearty wine drinks like a savory, deep and wild Côtes du Rhône from years gone by. Ready for a pot roast, cassoulet or Tuesday night leftover, it is medium-full on the palate with girthy, refined tannins and a warm, bright, complex finish

This fantastically French wine overdelivers at its median online price of $22. Beating all eleven online listings, it is a steal of Vin Chicago proportions!

Vin Chicago Price: 14.99

Stunning 95-Point Northern Rhône Syrah from Lionel Faury!

2023 Lionel Faury "Les 3 Brunes" Côte-Rôtie
Northern Rhône Valley, France
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The reds from third generation vigneron Lionel Faury have never been better. Imported by Kermit Lynch, Lionel's "Le 3 Brunes" blends 90% Syrah with 10% Viognier. The fruit comes from three small parcels in the Côte Brune section of Côte-Rôtie - Fourvier, Le Plomb, and Arselié. On steep cliffs above the Rhône River, the setting for these vines is visually stunning, with slopes so dramatic that they must be terraced. Experienced workers laboriously watch over each plant year round.

We visited Lionel's cliffside cellar 11 years ago. While we've long loved his classically styled wines, we’ve noticed a serious uptick in both deliciousness and elegance in recent years, especially in this lovely 2023 bottling.

Pouring a deeply opaque Syrah purple, this youthful red stains the glass with viscous allure. The nose and palate explode with classic Northern Rhône flavors including dark berries, smoke, coffee, minerals, flowers and olives, all atop a seductive and structured palate. 

This young wine is impressively drinkable now, giving pleasure with primary deliciousness, and it is very exciting to ponder the further complexity this outstanding Côte-Rôtie will develop with a few more years in the bottle. We’re a very strong 95 points, which is not a rating we throw around lightly!

Vin Chicago Price: 79.99