2016 Bastide Miraflors IGP Côtes Catalanes Domaine Lafage

A wine that almost always over- delivers, the 2016 Côtes du Roussillon Bastide Miraflors is, I suspect, the finest vintage for this cuvée to date (it's in the same league as the off-the-charts 2015). A blend of Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah from Lesquerde and Saint Martin de Fenouillet (both in the northern part of the Roussillon), aged all in older barrels, it boasts rockstar notes of ripe blackberry fruits, spice, dried garrigue, and hints of chocolate. Possessing a full-bodied, layered mouthfeel, sweet tannins, and sensational purity, it's another one of those values that almost seems too good to be true. Drink it any time over the coming 3-4 years.