Domaine Combel la Serre

France / South-West

Julien Ilbert is a young, charismatic vigneron with a fresh perspective on his native Cahors. Vines have been in the Ilbert family for generations, though grapes had always been sold to the local cave coopérative. In 1998, Julien decided to break off and start his own estate. After an amicable split in 2005, Julien, with the help of his wife Sophie, was back on track to producing his own wines: Château Combel-la-Serre was born. 25 hectares of Auxerrois (Malbec) are planted on a diverse number of terroirs, all within 5 kilometers of the cellar. Though a Cahors wine only needs to be 70% Auxerrois to get the appellation, Julien believes it is the only grape suitable for what he's trying to accomplish. The estate is certified organic as of the 2015 vintage, but chemicals have not touched the vineyards for quite some time.