Domaine Puig Parahy
I’m always on the lookout for interesting reds from the south of France and discovered these at a local shop. The family owned estate is located in the Pyrenees foothills near the Spanish border and they have roughly 110 Hectare under vine with a mix of Grenache, carignane, mourvedre, syrah, and muscatel. While the bottles state that they produce 10 different cuvees, I was only able to find a 100% Syrah cuvee that clocks in at around 16 bucks and their old vine cuvee “George” which was is slightly less at 13. Both are excellent but very different with the similarities ending at concentrated, well made wines. Both held up amazingly well over the three days it took me to get through the bottles.
- 2005 Domaine Puig Parahy Côtes du Roussillon Georges - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon
Per the bottle, this is from 60 to 80 year old vines (the blend isn’t stated but I’d guess a fair bit of Grenache and Carignane), is hand harvested and is the winemaker’s favorite blend, hence the name. A really pretty wine that is packed with earthy black cherry fruit, minerals, iron and licorice aromas and with air time, more roasted herb and spice aromas show up. The palate is medium bodied with sweet fruit and an almost burgundian sappiness to the texture. Bright, clean, well balanced and with ample length on the finish, this is excellent and worth checking out. (88 pts.) - 2005 Domaine Puig Parahy Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes Syrah - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes
Displaying a big, meaty, plum and cassis scented bouquet; this has gobs of ripe fruit sitting on top of roasted herbs, spice and tobacco aromas. The palate is medium bodied with a rich, chewy texture and a slightly tight, backwards personality. There’s plenty of concentrated fruit and this picks up some chocolate flavors and plenty of dusty tannins on the finish. Per the bottle, this is made from choice lots of older syrah. (88+ pts.)