Score: 89/100
La Rectorie is one of the most famous and leading producer of the Collioure/Banyuls area at the very South of France, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
The winery produces a broad range of fortified wines under the Banyuls appellation, as well as dry wines of all colors labeled as Collioure.
The red Collioure wine called La Montagne reviewed here is a blend of Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, and Counoise grape varieties.
It was aged primarily in Foudre (oak vats) as well as wine barrels for about 18 months.
So how good is La Rectorie Collioure La Montagne ?
Tasting Notes
This Collioure wine comes in a rather dark red and slightly purple color. Not extremely dense but dark it is.
The dominant aromas on the nose are extremely fruity and bursting out of the glass: cherry liqueur and plum/prune the main ones. Powerful and exuberant, yet they feel controlled and somewhat restrained from the wine’s young age so youthful character.
The palate then reveals the true nature and potential in this wine.
It is so juicy and explosively fruity to taste. Yet, mineral almost salty sensations that really feel quite unique (I’ve hardly ever felt them at this level in a wine) make the whole feel somehow savory and for sure salivating.
There’s a decent amount of fruity sweetness, most probably from unfermentable sugars rather than residual sugars though, as they feel subtly sugary not properly sweet.
Solid, again salivating acidity underlines the freshness and the fruit characters. While the tannins are dense but smooth overall, though a little granulous and drying on the finish.
Overall
A very enjoyable red wine with plenty of personality and facets that I had great pleasure discovering, unveiling one after the other.
Unique flavors of concentrated fruit liqueurs, marry some sort of saltiness, with smooth dense tannins and sustained acidity for a frantic yet homogenous experience.
The terroir and a form of purity of the fruit is clearly expressed and clearly shines through the tasting sensations.
In many regards, indeed, it tastes like a dry Rimage Banyuls (think of a dry vintage Port if you’re not familiar with that style), filled with red fruit goodness and clarity, dense structure and complexity.
When to drink?
It is a great wine to enjoy now, juicy and fruity as it is today. But the vintage Port-like feel suggests it should evolve positively for a considerable number of years if stored in good cool conditions.
3 to 10 years of maturation in bottle should be enough though to reveal its full potential.
Enjoy 🙂
My Last Visit to Domaine La Rectorie in Video
Please let me know your thoughts