We are currently without internet and phone at the Chapel Hill store. So... you can swing on by to buy wine... or wait till later! Hoping soon...

For those already familiar with Jean-Marc Lafage and his delights, just scroll to the bottom and order. This is one of the best wines he has produced... and that is saying something! For those new to Mr. Lafage, read on... but please take away this one point... this is the real deal. How he produces them so inexpensively is beyond me. But this drinks like $50+ Chateauneuf du Pape...

Domaine Lafage Cuvee Nicolas Grenache 2019

Buy a case or more for just $14.99 per

Buy 6 pay just $15.99 

All Else Sale $16.99

95 pts Jeb Dunnuck 

65 year old vines planted in schist soil - the same famed soil of Priorat, just on the other side of the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain. Exceptionally low yields (19hl/ha) - less than half of what is the norm - result in extremely concentrated, complex fruit. Hand-harvested and destemmed, the wine macerates for a lengthy 22 days before being aged in an equal mix of concrete and large French oak barrels. You would easily pay over $50 for a Priorat or Chateauneuf-du-Pape of this quality. How doe Lafage do it? Or more importantly, why? I have no idea. But who cares? Grab this while you can! 

Every time I taste this wine, my mind keeps circling back to famed writer Oz Clark’s description of Grenache… “…good Grenache is one of the great wine experiences. It has a wonderful raw-boned power that sweeps you along in its intoxicating wake. It exudes a blithe bonhomie and a taste – all ruddy cheeks and flashing eyes, and fistfuls of strawberry fruit – that seduces you yet makes you think that surely it’s all harmless fun. But it isn’t. And as your head spins from one glass too many – and it could just be your second – you realize woefully that you’ve been had ahain and when will you learn, but you hurl yourself anyway into the fandango of delight that is Grenache.”

Yep… that pretty much sums it up. Yet, there is more to this wine – if you can manage to keep from slugging it down right away, more complex notes of minerals, wild herbs and flowers emerge with 30 minutes or so in a decanter. Truthfully, I only know this because I burned something on the stove… but man, I am so glad I did!

"All Grenache brought up in demi–muids and aged on lees for 8 months, the medium ruby/purple hued color of the 2019 Cuvée Nicolas is followed by a killer bouquet of kirsch liqueur, savory spices, cured meats, and peppery garrigue. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and gorgeously textured, it has wonderful richness with no sensation of weight or heaviness. It’s another insane value from this team."

Of course, the region’s famed cassoulet is a natural pairing with this wine. I’ve got some in the freezer right now… hmmm…

Also delicious would be Bourride à la Sétoise… it’s similar to bouillabaisse, but only uses the region’s prevalent monkfish. Click on the picture for a recipe. But really, any version of fish stew that tickles your fancy would be fabulous. I enjoy adding a little chorizo and potatoes to the mix to “bulk” it up!


Or reply. Available Friday in both stores. Web orders are processed first... and we cannot check email right now... so I do encourage you to use that option. I have a lot... but Lafage tends to sell out quickly!