Combel La Serre

Surge of freshness and passion on the high plateaus of the Causse

This is a beautiful family story at the Ilberts, a story of passion, of will. The Ilbert family, Jean-Pierre and Marine, the parents, as well as their son Julien, believed in the potential of the Cahors terroir, and in this mythical grape variety, the Malbec. A deserved success, today they produce bottles that are off the beaten track, authentic wines from their 23 hectares. The perfect expression of Malbec is undoubtedly at the Combel-La-Serre estate.

The wines of Combel-La-Serre

Located on the limestone plateaus of Cahors, the Combel-la-Serre Château has been above all a family estate since 1901. However, at the beginning, the grapes were intended for the cooperative where Jean-Pierre Ilbert worked. In 1998, Jean-Pierre will leave the cooperative following the announcement of his son. Julien, 18 at the time, wanted to return home after finishing his studies and find his way.
Accompanied by Martine Ilbert, his wife, Jean-Pierre will then give a name to this estate while drawing inspiration from the Earth where he lives. Combel is the name of the plot where they live which is also covered with vines and La Serre designates the name of the plot opposite where all the farming buildings are located. It was then that the Combel-La-Serre estate was officially born in 1998. First of all, the grapes are sold in “bulk” in order to fill the cash flow, and thus necessarily invest to make their own wines.
That is to say, investing in the purchase of winemaking and vat room equipment and the construction of a new cellar. However, the sale in bulk does not manage to consolidate the cash and collapses, while Julien Ilbert settles definitively with his father at the estate. The only solution envisaged in order to repay the investments is to “make the bottle” and therefore to become an independent winegrower.

More respectful natural wines

At that time, the Combel-La-Serre estate was still unknown to the general public. For this, between 2003 and 2010, Jean-Pierre, Martine, Julien and Sophie, his wife, travel the roads of France for the sale of their wines, participating in markets, shows or fairs. Following these events, trips and enriching encounters, the young couple, Sophie and Julien, consider another look at the way of making wine and its marketing. The trigger is the birth of their first daughter in 2011. From there, they want their daughter to grow up in a healthier environment, in cleaner nature. The couple therefore took new steps to lead the estate towards organic farming. The conversion to organic is difficult during the first years, not being able to employ additional staff, the whole family must mobilize to fill this gap.
But hard work always pays off. Indeed, since 2013, the work done organically, using green manure for viticulture, reflects the typical expression of the region's soil. In 2016, the Combel-La-Serre estate was certified organic on all parcels by the Ecocert label. A great success for the Ilbert family!
Thanks to the work of Sophie and Julien, who are constantly improving their organic skills, we can say that Combel-La-Serre pays a fine tribute to the mythical grape variety of the region: Malbec.
Thus, at the estate, organic has been able to develop the quality of viticulture as well as the taste profile of the wine. The winegrowers pay particular attention to the quality of the harvest, which is carried out manually by a team trained in plant cultivation. This allows the Combel-La-Serre estate to benefit from a healthier harvest each year. Julien Ilbert then experimented with other concepts such as the first carbonic maceration of Malbec in 2014, in reference to the year of birth of his son, as well as a local wine made with Vermentino, a grape variety cherished by the couple whose it comes from the coolest soils of the estate.

Natural wines and Malbec!

Always in the same state of mind and in respect of the living to make his wines, Julien is constantly looking for fruit and freshness to qualify his bottles, while creating supple, complex (aromatically speaking) and fine wines.
There are several bottles of red wines including the Cuvée Château 2019. It perfectly reveals the Cahors appellation in its most beautiful assets thanks to its grape variety: Malbec. In this bottle, we find freshness, it is a digestible wine with woody notes and black fruits.
The La Vigne juste derrière chez Carbo 2021 is also 100% Malbec. Its name refers to the neighbors of Julien Ilbert nicknamed the “Carbo”, the plot being behind their home. Fruity and delicious, this wine is also distinguished by its freshness and lightness.
Les Peyres Levades 2018, an Occitan name meaning “Leaved Stones”, is a 100% Malbec wine. The origin of the wine comes from a plot located 350 meters above sea level, which is also the most calcareous plot of the estate. Hence its name, which is taken directly from its soil. We find all the minerality of the soils in this bottle with all the potential of an exceptional wine for laying down.
The Au Cerisier 2020 bottle comes from a single plot of red clay on limestone soil, located 350 meters above sea level. A cherry tree, as its name suggests, is found on this plot. With fine aromas of wild cherries, the winemaker has managed to find the balance between the grape variety, the soil and pleasure.
The white wine L'Éléphant Blanc is a Vermentino grape variety. This expressive wine offers a lot of freshness, fruit and delicacy. To taste without waiting!
L'epatant antidote à la chaleur du Causse 2021 is a rosé wine with a Malbec grape variety in direct pressing. This wine comes from clay-limestone soils, located on the Causse at 330 meters elevation. With aromas of red fruits, this rosé wine reveals a refreshing character.
Natural wines typical of Cahors, where the region's number one grape variety, Malbec, is honored. Do not miss it on the Epi-curieux.com website.
It is only natural that the wines of Combel la Serre can be found in the wine show of Jérôme Gagnez on France Inter, a radio show presented by the well-known gastronomic journalist François-Régis Gaudry. For a few minutes, the journalists praised the wines of the estate and more particularly the rosé, l'epatant antidote à la chaleur du Causse vintage 2022. Freshness, length in the mouth for a rosé recommended by François-Régis Gaudry and Jérôme Gagnez. Victim of its success since the show, the bottle is put back in stock regularly!