Blason d’Aussièries Corbières Domaines Barons De Rothschild (Lafite): Long Name = Good Wine?

45% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 15% Mourvèdre from Languedoc, France.

SRP of $20 and available for as low as $13. Sample received courtesy Pasternak Wine Imports for review purposes.

From the bottle:

“With its exceptional location and terroir and by the force of its history, the Château d’Aussièries is a wild and natural property of intense and powerful beauty. Since 1999, Domaines de Rothschild (Lafite) have revitalized the vineyards planted with carefully selected traditional Languedoc grape varieties: Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Carignan.

The Blason d’Aussièries is the issue of a meticulous selection in the cellar. The wine marries finesse and elegance with a marked Mediterranean personality.

14.0% Alcohol”

Why do so many French wines have such impossibly long names? I have a working theory that wine marketers have connected the length of a wine’s name with higher sales. Letters with accents count double. (Speaking of which, someone should create a version of Scrabble using only wine names.) In reality, of course, the length of the name doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of the wine, but it would actually work with today’s wine.

Corbières is part of the Languedoc-Roussillon wine producing region in France, much like Bordeaux or Burgundy, two of the better known regions. And although it is not as famous as those two regions, wine has been produced here since the Roman times. Corbières accounts for about 50% of the production in the Languedoc-Roussillon AOC (often labeled as Vin de Pays d’Oc). It’s also a great spot to find affordable and tasty red wine.

The 2008 Domaines Barons De Rothschild (Lafite) Blason d’Aussièries Corbièresbegins with a really tight and closed bouquet when first poured but it does open up as it breathes. Once it does, the primary aromas are blackberry and dried herbs (rosemary) and it even has a bit of a gamy character to it. The wine tastes smooth and has a rich texture. Excellent mixed berry flavors intertwine with well integrated and dusty tannins. The wine finishes with a little spice and then leaves lingering notes of dried herbs and fruit.

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

Find out more about my rating system and check out the Wine Ranking to find all my reviews! You can sort by type of wine, cost, rating, etc. in the interactive spreadsheet.