Ask any of our wine staff members for their favorite French red under $30 and there’s a good chance they’ll respond with the Laurent Combier Croze-Hermitage. Syrah from the Northern Rhône (its spiritual home) is beloved around the world, but it’s also notoriously expensive. Given the $100+ prices for Côte Rotie and bloated costs for St. Joseph, it makes the $23.99 price point for this Combier seem downright impossible.
But, make no mistake, you get all the dark-fruited, smoky, meaty, BBQ-drizzled deliciousness that many seek out in far pricier bottles in this sub-$30 specimen. For ribs, burgers, pork shoulder, wings, or any other smoked meat dish you wanna throw at it, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better value than this gorgeous cuvée.
The Combier family has been working organically in the Croze-Hermitage region of the Northern Rhône since the 1970s, long before people knew what “organic” even meant. Their wines have evoked the essence of Syrah for over two generations, and their prices have remained incredibly reasonable for the quality received.
For those even remotely interested in Syrah, the Northern Rhône, or French wine in general, this wine is the archetype of typicity for the region. The Mission wine staff is obsessed for a reason. It’s one of the most sought-after flavor profiles in the entirety of fine wine, and this little secret is entirely within reach of the everyday drinker.
But you don’t have to take our word for it….
Combier Crozes-Hermitage Cuvee LC 2021 $23.99
92 POINTS: VINOUS - Primary red and blue fruit scents are complemented by cracked pepper and candied violet notes. In an energetic, juicy style, offering sweet black raspberry and boysenberry flavors that firm up in the back half. Shows just a trace of tannins on the persistent finish, which echoes the blue fruit and spice notes. Laurent Combier’s consistently delicious and accessible, entry-level Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Laurent (known colloquially as “Cuvée L”) is one of the most ubiquitous Northern Rhône wines in restaurants, wine bars and shops across France. These wines lean towards a modern style with fruit-driven personalities, but there is more than enough depth and structure to warrant cellaring.
91 POINTS: WINE SPECTATOR - Delivers earth and fruit in equal parts, with wet earth, dried leaves and smoked mesquite alongside black plum and cherry compote. The medium-bodied finish is marked by pepper and anise, all cut through with savory acidity and graphite shavings.