Comble-la-Serre
Julien Ilbert is a young, charismatic vigneron with a fresh perspective on his native Cahors. Vines have been in the Ilbert family for generations, though grapes had always been sold to the local cave coopérative. In 1998, Julien decided to break off and start his own estate. After an amicable split in 2005, Julien, with the help of his wife Sophie, was back on track to producing his own wines: Château Combel-la-Serre was born.
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The estate consists of 25 hectares of Auxerrois (Malbec) planted across a diverse range of terroirs, all within five kilometers of the cellar. While Cahors wines only require 70% Auxerrois to qualify for the appellation, Julien is committed to using 100%, believing it is the only grape suitable for his vision. Certified organic since the 2015 vintage, the estate had already been farmed without chemicals for several years prior.
Le Pur Fruit du Causse, Cahors
It comes from seven different sites totalling 8.5 hectares which lie on a limestone plateau in Cahors at 320-350 meters in elevation.Hand-harvested and mainly destemmed. The wine is aged on its lees in cement tanks.
Les Peyres Levades, Cahors
"Peyres Levades" is Occitan for "pierres levées", a direct reference to the stoniness of the terrain of this 0.58-hectare lieu-dit. The vines are over 50 years old and yield only 25-30 hl/ha. The wine is aged in the same wood tank for 16 months and bottled without filtration and with minimal sulfur. Peyres Levades is by far Combel La Serre's smallest production at around 2000 bottles.
Cahors
40yo Vines coming from 5 hectares parcel. Hand-harvested and mainly destemmed. The wine is aged in a combination of used barrique, demi-muid and 50-hectoliter cask for a year.
Le Lac aux Cochons, Cahors
60yo vines from a single hectare plot located at a place called Rassiels, there is a small pocket of clay in which the water is kept as soon as it rains, thus forming a “mini lake” in which wild boars love to come and cool off. 24 months of Ageing.