Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors Vieilles Vignes 2020 750ml

A custom cuvée for European Cellars and a joint project between Eric Solomon and Jean-Marc Lafage, Bastide Miraflors is a cuvée created from old vine Grenache (30%) grown on the schist and granite soils of Saint-Paul de Fenouillet, a terroir that always ripens late in the year, and Syrah (70%) from gravelly soils near the Mediterranean. After a long maceration of six weeks, the wine ages for 12 months in roughly 3/4 concrete vats and 1/4 600L French oak demi-muids.

2019

91 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Côtes du Roussillon Bastide Miraflors is a blend of 70% Syrah (vinified as whole bunches and aged in 20% new demi-muids) and 30% Grenache (destemmed and aged in concrete). Hints of peppery spice, vanilla and woodsmoke accent the blueberry-scented nose, while the full-bodied palate is ripe, supple and concentrated, adding hints of black cherries, chocolate and licorice on the long finish.

2020

90 Points
Tasted twice, two months apart, with consistent notes, the 2020 Côtes du Roussillon Bastide Miraflors is a 70-30 blend of Syrah and Grenache, aged in demi-muids and concrete tanks, respectively. There's a hint of peppermint, but the primary focus here is on the fruit, ranging from blueberries and mulberries into darker notes of plum and dark chocolate. It's full-bodied and creamy in texture, with deliciously supple, soft tannins, which make it exceptionally easy to drink now, but maybe not particularly long-lived.