Domaine Lafage Narassa 2023

Domaine Lafage makes Narassa in VDP des Côtes Catalanes, from plots on the Côte de Maury in Roussillon. The wine began as a happy accident, when overripe grapes left on the vine after harvest were vinified dry rather than discarded, and the result was good enough that the practice stuck. It blends Grenache Noir and Syrah grown on the dark schist soils of Maury, where the stony, heat-retaining ground and the hot Mediterranean sun, cut by the tramontane wind, push the fruit to high ripeness and concentration. The late picking gives the wine its density and its fifteen percent alcohol, while the Syrah adds structure and a peppery lift to the Grenache's ripe red fruit. The wine is made without heavy oak, keeping the focus on its rich, concentrated fruit. It pours a deep, dark red. The nose is generous, with ripe red fruits, chocolate and warm spice over a dried-herb base. The palate is dense and creamy, full bodied and rounded, the ripe fruit carried by soft tannins and just enough acidity to a long, warming finish. Serve at sixteen to seventeen degrees. Good with grilled red meat and rich, slow-cooked dishes.