Corbieres is in many ways the most emblematic wine region of Languedoc. It’s a large area, with vineyards planted among rugged countryside that turns slowly into Pyrenean foothills as you travel south. Cute villages like Ferrals-les-Corbieres sit astride streams on their way to join the Aude River, and these villages usually contain small family run estates like Chateau Maylandie, who charmingly invite you to visit, buy their wine and other local products, “honeys, olives, naturally sweet wines, beers, creams, tinned foods, etc.”, and take a walk through their vineyards. The wine they make is just as charming, rustic, and honest, a classic Corbieres blend of Carignan (70%) and Cinsault (30%) that shows the earthiest, darkest red version of the area’s wine. The nose shows blackcurrant fruit with notes of coffee, licorice, cacao, bitter black chocolate, tilled clay earth, corn nuts and lavender. The palate is full bodied, with more blackcurrant, black chocolate, and inky black dirt, with tar, tamarind, and black vinegar notes finding room amongst sturdy tannins. This is an everyday wine that demands hearty fare like steak or roast beef.