2020 Côte-Rôtie Coeur de Combard, Domaine Barge

• Style: Refined, cool-climate Syrah
• Taste: Black cherry, violet, black pepper, fine tannins, crisp acidity
• Food: Stews & braises, BBQ, roast dinners, beef & steak, game & venison
• Occasion: Gifting, cellar worthy
• Serve: 14% ABV, naturally corked, now or age 10+ years

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Violet and black pepper open the nose, followed by a dark-fruit core that unfolds on the palate with black cherry and lingering savoury spice. Fine-grained tannins and crisp acidity hold the wine in perfect balance, delivering the kind of refined, cool-climate poise that defines the finest Syrah. Supple enough to drink now, yet built to age gracefully over the next decade.

The Winery — Domaine Barge

Seven generations of the Barge family have tended vineyards in Ampuis since 1860, with bottled wines dating to 1929. Julien Barge now stewards the family's six hectares of organically farmed Côte-Rôtie, including the three-hectare Le Combard—a vertiginous volcanic-soil parcel acquired in 2000 and painstakingly rebuilt by hand. The 2020 vintage benefited from ideal ripening: warm yet measured temperatures and timely rainfall kept freshness in the vines. Fermented in stainless steel with careful extraction, the wine aged 24 months in large French oak foudres, the result of meticulous hand-harvesting on some of the appellation's most challenging terrain.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Serve alongside roasted duck, braised beef cheeks, hard aged cheese, or the full spectrum of full-bodied red wine partners—stews, braises, grilled dishes, and game all sing with this benchmark Syrah. If you're exploring Syrah & Shiraz more broadly, or deepening your understanding of what Côte-Rôtie delivers, this single-vineyard release makes a thoughtful choice. Gift-worthy and built for the cellar, vegan-friendly, naturally corked, 14% ABV. Discover more from the Rhône's finest growers in our curated France selection.