Château Lauriga Cotes de Roussillon Le Cadet

Château Lauriga Côtes de Roussillon Le Cadet

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 13-25 years

Varietal Composition: 70% Syrah, 20% Carignan, 10% Grenache

Elaboration: Vinification Whole bunches are placed in vats saturated with carbon dioxide. Short maceration (1 week on average). The end of the maceration is at low temperature to reinforce the fruity character. The soil is clay-limestone, with gravel. The vines are cut Cordon de Royat and Goblet and are harvested by hand and mechanically.

Tasting Notes: The color is dark red. It has a notes of fresh red fruits, aromas of liquorice and violet. On the palate, the softness, roundness, volume and softness of the tannins create a perfect balance. charcuterie or red meat.

PRESS

2019 – 90 Wine Spectator

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.

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