Domaine Lafage Nicolas Côtes Catalanes 2023
Ripe wine, loaded with red and black cherry fruit and hints of cocoa notes, lively, rich, deep and velvety in texture with lovely freshness.
Named after Jean-Marc’s and Eliane’s son, this wine is produced from a selection from vineyards in the Têt Valley and from higher-altitude plots near Les Aspres and Maury on marble-schist soils surrounded by garrigue. Average age of the vines is 65 years old yielding a low 19 hl/ha.
A green harvest in done in early Summer to gain concentration in the grapes which are picked by hand in 20 kg. boxes. Cold maceration prior to alcoholic fermentation for 7 days followed by fermentation with plunging down of the cap in open fermenters over a period of 22 days. 30% of the wine is then drained to demi-muids barrels with the rest in concrete tanks for ageing on lees for 9 months.
| Vintage | 2023 |
| Alcoholic strength | 14.5% |
| Awards | 91pts, James Suckling, 2024 |
| Country | France |
| Region | Roussillon |
| Subregion | Côtes Catalanes |
| Grapes | Grenache Noir 100% |
| Residual sugar (g/l) | 2 |
| Body | C |
| Contains sulphites | Yes |
| Vegetarian | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Milk | No |
| Eggs | No |
| Organic | No |
| Biodynamic | No |
| Closure | Diam |
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.
