British Master of Wine Tamlyn Currin says:
Certified Haute Valeur Environnementale. 60% Grenache Noir, 30% Carignan, 7% Grenache Gris, 3% Lladoner. No destemming, light crushing, short maceration, light extraction. A wine made as a nod back to the time when Jean-Marc Lafage's father used to make a light 'house wine' from their low-altitude plots that didn't have enough alcohol to make the fortified wines they produced back then.
Slightly cloudy, so I presume unfiltered. And simply gorgeous. Cheeky, cheeky, cheeky! Ping-pongs around the mouth, paintballing cherry wine gums and raspberry fruit chews and Parma-violet candy in all directions. (Don't get me wrong, though – the wine is dry, not sweet; just so packed with such cheerful fruit that it's like being flash-mobbed by singing strawberries!) The tannins are not even an afterthought. They were abandoned in the press along with all pretensions and all thoughts of tomorrow. I love it! #picnicwine2021.
And Decanter rates it 92 points, their top score for any Lafage red, saying:
Fresh nose of vibrant red fruits with a subtle leafy character. Refreshing, with a light tannic streak well-supported by a juicy concentration.
Both the quality and the style of this reminds us of the best cru Beaujolais, from a producer like Vissoux…which is saying something.
And it’s only 12.5% alcohol!
NC prices for this range from $20 to $23. Ours is the best price anywhere for this truly delightful and irresistible red wine bargain.
(This is the second wine we’ve sold named “Retro.” The first was an enormous Howell Mountain Petite Sirah – which couldn’t be further from the fresh and fruity, oh-so-quaffable style of this.)
