2015 Chateau La Canorgue IGP Luberon 750 ml

Savor Ridley Scott’s “A Good Year”

Robert Parker introduces the property from which this under-$20 triumph hails perfectly: “In the beautiful Luberon region of southern France, not far from the scenic, pretty village of Bonnieux, the well-known Chateau La Canorgue has been farmed both organically and biodynamically for a number of years. Doug Polaner is his name, and high quality wines in all price ranges is his game. I have been tasting with Polaner over a number of years, and these notes represent his very finest value selections.”

Château La Canorgue, with its jaw-dropping 17th century estate and rolling, fragrant hills, looks like something out of a movie. In fact it is, having served as the location for the Ridley Scott 2006 film “A Good Year” about a winery in the South of France. The slightly untamed character of the Southern Rhône landscape which so seduced Scott is revealed in this 2015 Syrah-Grenache blend — hugely popular in Europe — with its sun-ripened warmth, dense spice, and evocative hint of garrigue.

Here in the heart of Luberon, stress is put on doing things the natural way. Continuously inhabited since the 1600s, Château La Canorgue was built on an ancient Roman villa. The current operator, Nathalie, is a fifth-generation winemaker who inherited the business from her father, Jean-Pierre Margan. She’s continuing his focus on organic and biodynamic viniculture: no chemical fertilizers are employed, only indigenous yeasts are used, and grapes are harvested by hand. This rigorous approach has helped La Canorgue rack up multiple prestigious awards, including the Medals d’Or au Concours Général Agricole de Paris.

Sixty acres of vineyards surround the estate, ringed by rolling hills of lavender fields and century-old cherry trees. Vines are 40 years old on average, some as ancient as 100. Yields are low, often around a ton per acre. The temperate Mediterranean climate sees few heat spikes, with the Montagne du Luberon range helping to cool off the grapes and elongate the growing season.

Wine is “quite simply incapable of lying,” says an estate owner in Scott’s movie. “The wine will always whisper into your mouth with complete, unabashed honesty every time you sip.” Beautifully structured, offering up cherry and wild herbs, the 2015 Château La Canorgue is honest to the bone.