2010 Cotes du Roussillon Chimeres

Lafage's 2010 Cotes du Roussillon Chimeres delivers deep cherry fruit mingled with licorice and accompanied by pungent overtones of sage, marjoram and pine resin that suggest a hint of reduction not uncommon for this cuvee (for more on whose make-up and methodology, consult my accompanying review of the 2011 as well as reviews of past vintages in earlier reports). The purity of sweetly-ripe fruit here is lusciously, irresistibly persistent, although I miss the compelling mineral and carnal adjuncts currently displayed by the 2011. Here-s another of those Roussillon instances where I am amazed at the strong showing of 2011 but suspect that the 2010 to some extent simply in a less-expressive phase. Look for this outstanding value to delight through at least 2016. For the most recent vintages I have tasted from his Maury estate, Jean-Marc Lafage has tended to extend fermentations a bit longer than before, but to work the cap less - very little in fact - so as to achieve gentler extraction and ultimately more finesse. Toward that end, the admixture of fruit grown in relatively cool Lesquerde and Saint Paul de Fenouillet may well also have proven useful. (The fermentative regiment for some of these wines - as for the more expensive reds under Lafage's own label - involves unorthodoxies detailed in my review below of his 2012 "Mas Cayrol" bottling as well as in various places in this report's and other's accounts of Domaine Lafage wines.) Imported by Eric Solomon Selections, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565