Domaine Lafage Narassa Cotes Catalanes Rouge 2020
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Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The nose is dominated by lots of pure blackberry, crushed herbs, earth and peppery characteristics. The mouth is full bodied, very rich with soft and fine tannins. The finish is fresh with a surprising elegance.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of Grenache and Syrah, generally in about a 4:1 ratio, the 2020 IGP Cotes Catalanes Narassa features appealing, complex aromas of violets and plummy fruit, reminiscent of blackberries and blueberries. Picked as two separate harvests—one in September and one in November—and then blended, this is full-bodied, richly concentrated and fleshy, with a velvety finish that shows a touch of warmth. It's winter-weight wine, for sure.
Other Vintages
2019-
Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling
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Jeb
Dunnuck
Jean-Marc farms (with some help!) 160 hectares of vines located just south of the capital of French Catalonia, Perpignan. Some of his family’s vineyards are situated a few kilometers from the Mediterranean, while others can be found further inland in the foothills of the Pyrenees or near the village of his birth, Maury. This range of sites allows him to make both refreshing whites, rich, concentrated reds, and fortified wines as well. Benefiting from a warm, dry climate, the estate is farmed organically. They grow primarily Grenache (Blanc, Gris & Noir), Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Marsanne, Roussanne and Chardonnay with a significant proportion of his vines well over 50 years old. The soil, as you near the coast is weathered, alluvial gravel while in the higher elevation sites it is predominantly schist. They harvest by hand and the winemaking is surprisingly uncomplicated with stainlesss steel for the fresher whites but mainly concrete tanks for the reds with a judicious amount of large French oak barrels for aging.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Defined by the rugged eastern edge of the Pyrenees Mountains and near-constant sunshine, Roussillon is a region rich in Spanish history and influence. In fact, the Roussillon people mainly identify with being Catalan rather than French or Occitan.
Roussillon has been a culture of viticulture since the 7th century BC and not surprisingly, highly influenced by Spain in their winemaking techniques and wine styles. Furthermore, the arid, exposed, steep and uneven valleys of this so-called Pyrénées-Orientales zone, guarantee that grape yields are low and berries are small and concentrated. The region was quick to adopt a specific fortification process (locally called mutage), introduced by a Catalan physician in the 13th century. Seen as beneficial to the region’s whites, soon Roussillon also applied the process to the vinification of Grenache. Mutage involves fortifying the grape must (or must and skins together depending on desired effect) with a neutral grape spirit to arrest fermentation, resulting in a slightly sweet, high alcohol (15-18%), but still varietally expressive and aromatically complex wine called, vin doux naturel. Two clones of Muscat and Grenache of various colors are mainly responsible for the excellent vins doux naturels in the notable sub-appellations of Rivesaltes, Banyuls and Maury.
More recently modern winemaking techniques, coupled with a near perfect climate and optimal soils, altitudes and exposures have allowed Roussillon to quickly escalate the quality and popularity of its dry red wines as well, namely those of Maury, Cotes du Roussillon-Villages and Collioure.