Château Lauriga Côtes de Roussillon Cuvee Bastien
WHY WE LOVE IT
- Estate-grown fruit.
- The vineyard is located in the AOP of Côtes du Roussillon and has a Mediterranean climate.
- The age of the vineyard is 15-28 years
Varietal Composition: Syrah, Carignan, Grenache
Elaboration: Partial carbonic maceration for Carignan. The temperature of the grapes is lowered to favor a gradual start in fermentation and to reinforce the aromatic power of the wine. Maceration continues for a minimum of 3 weeks with short and regular pumping over to promote the diffusion of color and tannins. It lasts almost three weeks.
Tasting Notes: Bright garnet with deep red. A nose of ripe red fruits, jammed, with liquorice aromas and a touch of sweet spices. A round and well balanced palate, coated tannins, as well as some notes of roasting in the final.
PRESS
n/a
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
Born into a long line of Languedoc grape growers, Jean-Claude Mas became the first in his family to emerge as a formally-trained winemaker as a young man in his twenties. His initial memory of wine came when he was three-years-old, defiantly escaping his Mother’s watch to run two miles into the countryside to meet his grandfather in the fields during harvest.
As a young adult Jean-Claude went about founding Domaine Paul Mas in 2000 using the family’s existing 86 acres of holdings. In short time he began to purchase underpriced but strategically situated Domaines throughout the region, in the process turning their vineyards and cellars into well-known regional standouts. Fast forward twenty years and Jean-Claude’s is operating 15 separate chateaux and domaines, a diverse collection of terroirs spanning the kaleidoscope of topographies that makes Languedoc-Roussillon one of Europe’s most dynamic regional appellations: From mountainside terraces in Limoux used for some of the best sparkling wines you’ll find in France outside of Champagne, to salty coastal plots of Picpoul destined for local shellfish consumption, to vineyards set atop clay plateaux producing pale Grenache-driven examples of rosé and vin gris, to moonscape settings near the Spanish border responsible for intense examples of both dry and fortified Carignan.
Jean-Claude’s newest acquisition is Domaine Lauriga in the commune of Thuir, which he purchased several years ago after the untimely passing of longtime proprietor Rene Clar. The property sits between Perpignan and Thuir (where the aperitif Byrrh is made), and the history of winegrowing at Lauriga dates back to 1068 when the King of France personally tended the vineyards. Jean-Claude’s reason for purchase? To showcase the ultimate expression of traditional Roussillon grape varietals through the Domaine’s enviable collection of 60 hectares which strategically cross the three key Roussillon terroirs. Grenache Noir, Grenache Blanc, Carignan, and Muscat d’Alexandria shine here, in both dry and traditional “racine” format.