Domaine Lafage Moutou Côtes Catalanes 2022
A fragrant red, with a bouquet of dark and red berries (dark cherries, plum, cassis…), fresh and velvety in the mouth, with notes of warm stones and sweet spices. The finish is focused and seductive.
The Moutou plot lies in the Crest area, on black marl soils characteristic of the Têt terraces in the heart of Roussillon, close to the Mediterranean coast. The vineyards are cultivated using Regenerative Agriculture: with low-density plant cover, no ploughing and using Biochar, a carbon-rich compound obtained from the pyrolysis of green waste acting as a micro-sponge and which increases the biological, chemical and physical fertility of soils. Different methods of ""cultivating water" are being tested, a commodity which has become so precious and scarce, particularly in Roussillon, that has been hit by extreme drought.
The grapes are picked early, and fermentation is traditional using 50% whole bunches with daily pump overs, long maceration and ageing for 18 months in 50 hl tuns.
| Vintage | 2022 |
| Alcoholic strength | 13.5% |
| Awards | 93 pts, James Suckling, 2024; 17/20 Jancis Robinson, 2024 |
| Country | France |
| Region | Roussillon |
| Subregion | Côtes Catalanes |
| Grapes | Grenache Noir 90%, Syrah 10% |
| Residual sugar (g/l) | 2 |
| Body | C |
| Contains sulphites | Yes |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Milk | No |
| Eggs | No |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Cork |
Domaine Lafage, situated between Perpignan and the Spanish border in Côtes Catalanes, Roussillon, has been run by Jean-Marc and Eliane Lafage since 2001. They travelled spending many a season harvesting grapes and making wine in South America, the United States (California), South Africa and Germany before settling back in the Roussillon. The estate, with 7 generations and its two centuries of winemaking history dating back to 1798 prides itself on producing fine and elegant wines from the mosaic of vineyards in this dry, windy and rugged landscape. For over a decade, Roussillon has been grappling with the full force of climate change and the Domaine has transformed its viticultural practices in recent years. Their emphasis on sustainability and climate resistance in the form of regenerative agriculture including water monitoring together with earlier harvesting to gain freshness is laying the ground to face any challenges that the future may bring.
