2016 Domaine Lafage "Fundacio" Côtes du Roussillon Villages
SKU #1404490
96 points
Jeb Dunnuck
One of the finest wines I’ve tasted from the estate is unquestionably the 2016 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Fundacio, which is 60% Syrah from Maury with the balance Mourvèdre and Grenache, vinified and aged in small barrels. Full-bodied, incredibly pure, elegant, and silky, it boasts awesome notes of crème de cassis, black olives, leafy herbs, and subtle gamey, salty nuances. It’s a rich, powerful wine yet just glides over the palate with no sensation of weight or heaviness, sweet tannins, and a great finish. It should keep for a decade.
(11/2018)
Jancis Robinson
70% Syrah from the granite and gneiss soils of Lesquerde, 30% Grenache on marl and black and grey schist in Tautavel, Maury and Latour de France. One-third is whole-bunch fermented. Aged 20 months in 1-year-old barrels. Very dark crimson. Intense and richly fruited and spiced on the nose, packed with dark fruit and black peppery spice but with an invinting dusty/stony overlay. Although there is lots of oak and fruit sweetness here, it is the texture that is really notable: very smooth and polished and with a dark, dry finesse and it is not as sweetly fruited on the palate as I expected from the aroma. Rich in fruit but it has a real sense of place in the dry heat of Roussillon's great vineyards. Long and spicy on the finish and with that lovely dry quality that helps to obscure/balance the alcohol. The freshness comes more from the texture and the dry tannins than from the acidity, which I guess is quite moderate. Suprisingly juicy on the finish. Lovely wine, elegant despite its intensity. 17.5/20 points (JH)
(12/2018)
K&L Notes
Made from some of Jean-Marc Lafage's favorite terroirs in the Roussillon, these top plots are located in the villages of Tautavel, Maury and Latour-de-France. A blend of Syrah, with a bit of Grenache (and in this vintage a hint of Mourvedre), it is aged in second-fill oak barrels for 20 months before bottling. Think of this as the Bastide Miraflors' older sexier and more mature cousin. It is a long. complex wine with a lot of future potential.