2018 Château Lauriga Muscat de Rivesaltes

Domaines Paul Mas was founded in 1892. The current owner is Jean-Claude Mas and he is without doubt the pioneer of the revival of the Languedoc as a region for quality wines. Jean-Claude describes his wines as 'Le Luxe Rural', rural luxury. He has given the Languedoc 'new world' allure with international grape varieties. And with his fashionable wines from local grapes, he has made the local character of the Languedoc hip again among wine lovers. Hubrecht Duijker rightly calls Jean-Claude Mas a 'wine wizard' and at Grandcruwijnen we are the only company in the Netherlands to also carry the high-end Grandcrus of Paul Mas.

The Laurinya of du Château Lauriga belongs to Domaines Paul Mas but is a real Château. Château Lauriga was originally an authentic family domain, which has been in the hands of the French-Catalan Clar family for many years. A few years ago, Jean-Claude Mas was given the opportunity to take over the family domain. The dessert wine (Vin Doux Naturel) of Chateau Lauriga is made from the Muscat grape coming from a vineyard in Roussillon, in the south of France. The terroir is characterized by clay, limestone and gravel. The grapes are destemmed as soon as they arrive in the cellar and immediately gently pressed. The fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature. During fermentation, neutral alcohol is added to stop the fermentation and achieve the desired sweetness. The wine is then matured for a long time in 225 liter oak barrels, during which the wine is in contact with oxygen: this allows the wine to develop unique aromas.

The fragrance is intense with notes of citrus fruits, menthol, white flowers and tropical fruits and with candied citrus peels and sweet spices. What is certainly striking is the freshness that the wine has and especially keeps. In the mouth this is a layered wine. with plum, eau-de-vie, orange blossom and spices. Highly recommended as a sweet aperitif and as a dessert wine. Delicious with crumble cheese with walnuts and of course with foie gras