Domaine Lafage Cotes Catalanes Narassa 2022

To quote Jean-Marc Lafage, ‘In 2014, at the end of the harvest, we realized we had forgotten a small plot of Grenache Noir near Maury. Despite the high degree of grapes (17%), we decided to harvest and try to make a ‘late’ red dry wine: the juice showed great concentration and amazing quality. Fermentation stopped at 10g sugar /L because of the high alcohol. We decided to blend the juice with a selection of Syrah at 12.5% harvested on a fresh terroir from an altitude vineyard. 10% of the blending was raised in old sweet Maury barrels. The result is Narassa, an elegant wine in an “Appassimento” style. We harvest these grapes very late by hand in small baskets; they are almost overripe to obtain a very smooth texture and a sweet final taste. We aim to see how far we can go in an Appassimento-style wine. After strictly selecting the best grapes, we use a cold soaking fermentation to obtain more colour and fruit. 20% of the wine is aged in old sweet wine barrels.’ 

Pure blackberry, crushed herbs, earth and peppery characteristics dominate the nose. The mouth is full-bodied, very rich with soft and fine tannins. The finish is fresh with a surprising elegance. 

Grape Grenache Noir 80%, Syrah 20%