Showing posts with label Cuvée. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cuvée. Show all posts

Sunday, August 10, 2025

Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors

Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors Vieilles Vignes with Homemade Pizza 

Sunday night dinner, Linda prepared a home cooked from scratch pizza with peppers, sausage, multiple cheeses and garden fresh basil spice.

I pulled from the cellar this ‘pizza wine’, low cost, simple easy drinking pleasant big red.

Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors Vieilles Vignes 2020

This is from Domaine Lafage in the Côtes du Roussillon appellation in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the furthest southeast corner of France. The appellation of Côtes du Roussillon was created in 1977 and covers the eastern half of the Pyrénées-Orientales (the eastern side of the Pyrenees Mountains) and lower lands of Roussillon along the Mediterranean coast.

Domaine Lafage is owned by the Lafage family who have been winegrowers for seven generations over two centuries.

Current producer Jean-Marc Lafage had been working in the vineyards since a young boy and got his first involvement as a winemaker in the 80’s when his father Guy Lafage gave him the sole responsibility of a batch of some of his finest Maury grapes.

A few years later, Jean-Marc met his wife Eliane during their wine studies, and they went on to share experiences with the harvest and wine-making seasons in South America, the United States (California), South Africa and Australia. They returned to settle back in France and took over the family estate in 2001. The domain consisted of nearly ninety acres of family land around Perpignan, Canet and Maury. The added the acquisition of Mas Miraflors in 2006.

Their children have joined in the operations of the property with daughter Léa has become an agricultural engineer, and son Nicolas works summers in the cellar and at the shop.

Today, the Lafages farm nearly 400 acres of vines located just south of the capital of French Catalonia, Perpignan, the southernmost city of Metropolitan France, in the center of the Roussillon plain.

Some of his family’s vineyards are situated a few kilometers from the Mediterranean in the commune of Saint-Paul de Fenouillet, while others can be found further inland in the foothills of the Pyrenees near the village of his birth, Maury.

The range and diversity of sites allows them to make both refreshing whites, rich, concentrated reds, and fortified wines as well. Benefiting from a warm, dry climate, the estate grows primarily Grenache (Blanc, Gris & Noir), Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Marsanne, Roussanne and Chardonnay with a significant proportion of the vines well over 50 years old.

The soil along the coast is weathered, alluvial gravel while in the higher elevation sites it is predominantly schist.

Harvesting is done by hand and winemaking is basically straightforward and uncomplicated with stainlesss steel for the fresher whites and mainly concrete tanks for the reds with a judicious amount of large French oak barrels for aging.

Although it is a region predominantly recognized for fortified, vins doux naturels (a type of sweet wine), Roussillon is also ideal for the production of dry red, white and rose wines.

Côtes du Roussillon includes complex soils of schist, limestone, gneiss and granite and climatic conditions that support many grape varieties.

Côtes du Roussillon red wines are blends made from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and smaller amounts of Carignan, Cinsault and the lesser known, Lledoner Pelut. Rosé wines come from the same varieties, as well as may include Grenache Gris and Macabeo. White wines from Côtes du Roussillon are Grenache Blanc and Macabeo with small amounts of Marsanne, Roussanne and Rolle (aka Vermentino).

Domaine Lafage produce a portfolio of a dozen red wines, a half dozen whites, as well as several each rose’s, sparkling and dessert wines. Their wines have earned 30 CGA gold medals over the last 5 years, and no less than 70 wines have been rated 90 Points and more by the Robert Parker guide.

Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors Vieilles Vignes 2020

Bastide Miraflors is a custom cuvée produced for European Cellars through a joint project between Jean-Marc Lafage and leading wine importer distributor Eric Solomon. 

Since 1990, Eric Solomon has championed unheralded wine growing regions and promoted young, innovative winemakers, initially focused on the Rhône, Languedoc, and Roussillon regions of France through his US import distribution company, European Cellars.

Eric’s European Cellars portfolio has grown to over 90 producers/properties and he has been recognized as one of the finest wine importers in the US having been named Wine Personality of the Year, Best Importer of the Year, and James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Wine and Spirits. Influential critic Robert Parker has lauded European Cellar’s wines, particularly from France and Spain.

This label is is a cuvée created primarily of Syrah (70%) and Grenache (30%), crafted from old vine Grenache grown in the commune of Saint-Paul de Fenouillet with terroir of schist and granite soils in terroir that always ripens late in the year, and Syrah from gravelly soils near the Mediterranean. 

This release was rated 90 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate. An earlier vintage was rated 93 points by Jeb Dunnuck.

Deep ruby purple colored, medium full bodied, notes of blackberry, plum and mullberry fruits with notes of tobacco, black tea, dark mocha and hints of mint, turning to supple, soft tannins on the moderate finish.

RM 89 points.




Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut Limited Edition Red Magnums

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut Limited Edition Red Magnum Bottles NV

For our gala family Christmas dinner, and to have on hand for upcoming special occasions, I picked up these Limited Edition Red Magnum bottles of  Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Brut Champagne.

We served the Champagne with the starter courses of artisan cheeses, fresh shrimp cocktail and the salad course. Linda served baked ham, scalloped potatoes, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, fresh rolls and a medley of desserts.

The wine was a concensus highly rated selection being among the Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2019 at #95.

There is always opportunity to enjoy Champagne so I always keep a collection on hand for any occasion. Knowing we have two family weddings on the horizon, I went out on a limb and picked up several cases of these festive elegant limited edition bottles (shown below).

For the main courses, Ryan brought a special Mollydooker Velvet Glove Shiraz and I also served from our cellar, a vintage Calera, Mt Harlan, Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir.

The Winemaker Notes for this release: "The Brut NV represents the epitome of the Piper-Heidsieck
style: a classic, well-structured, and fruit forward champagne.

Piper-Heidsieck carefully selects fruit from more than 100 of Champagne’s crus to blend the Brut NV. This adds great complexity and dimension to the wine and allows the bold Piper-Heidsieck style to shine through.

A majority blend of Pinot Noir provides structure to the composition while Pinot Meunier expands the wine with its brilliant fruit expression and fleshiness and Chardonnay bring elegant tones and acidity. The precious reserve wines create a consistent flavor profile year after year.'

"This Champagne teases and allures us with its festive, light-drenched, pale gold shimmer and joyful display of neat, lively bubbles. Notes of almond and fresh hazelnut accompany the precise ascent of its bubbles. It is lively, subtle and light, leaving a deliciously incisive sensation of smoothness, marked by the pureness of fresh pear and apple and a delicate hint of citrus fruits. A harmonious mixture of bright, crunchy pomelo, blonde grapes and juicy white fruits creates the delightfully surprising sensation of lightness embraced by the structure and depth from the Pinot Noir; all beautifully balanced."

This release achieved Critical Acclaim having been awarded WS 92 points by Wine Spectator, 91 points by Jeb Dunnuck and 90 points each by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and Wine Enthusiast.

White-golden straw colored, balanced, fruity, fresh and elegant, medium-bodied, stimulatingly fresh and well-structured blend with gorgeous fruit and a clean, persistent finish, a mineral edge and final fruitiness, beautifully textured with a solid mid-palate, good density, and a clean, crisp finish.

RM 90 points

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2651727