Winemaker Notes
A deep yet beautifully balanced with wine with notes of subtle raspberry, rhubarb, sweet spices and tobacco aromas. In the mouth, the elegant and silky tannins bring a very velvety touch to this wine. It is unique in its combination of concentration of fruit, attractive aromatics and body.
Blend: 75% Grenache, 24% Syrah, 1% Mourvèdre
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The intense range of fruit aromas, from baked boysenberry to quince paste, meets with a sauce spice rack on the nose of this bottling, which punches far above its price class. The palate's plummy flavors are cut by pepper and mace, and wrapped in a taut frame that pushes into the finish.
Editors' Choice -
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Medium garnet in color, the 2023 Commanderie des Hospitaliers Red Blend opens with inviting aromas of fragrant garden spices and dried blueberries. Silky and smooth on the palate, it offers satisfying layers of berry fruit flavors. A stylish match with herb-roasted quail served over wild mushroom risotto. (Tasted: August 25, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
An extensive appellation producing a diverse selection of good quality and great values, Languedoc spans the Mediterranean coast from the Pyrenees mountains of Roussillon all the way to the Rhône Valley. Languedoc’s terrain is generally flat coastal plains, with a warm Mediterranean climate and frequent risk of drought.
Virtually every style of wine is made in this expansive region. Most dry wines are blends with varietal choice strongly influenced by the neighboring Rhône Valley. For reds and rosés, the primary grapes include Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvèdre. White varieties include Grenache Blanc, Muscat, Ugni Blanc, Vermentino, Macabéo, Clairette, Piquepoul and Bourbelenc.
International varieties are also planted in large numbers here, in particular Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The key region for sparkling wines here is Limoux, where Blanquette de Limoux is believed to have been the first sparkling wine made in France, even before Champagne. Crémant de Limoux is produced in a more modern style.