Domaine La Casenove - Muscat de Rivesaltes 2011

A former press photographer, Étienne Montès took over the family estates, Casenove and Saint-Luc. The La Garrigue and Torrespeyres wines form the core of the lineup and are easy to enjoy. The Commandant-Jaubert wine is produced only when the vintage is suitable. It is named after a sailor—Étienne’s great-great-uncle—who built the estate.

Made primarily from Muscat d'Alexandrie and Petit Grain Muscat, Montes' 2011 Muscat de Rivesaltes is fragrant with notes of mint, orange liqueur, and dried apricot. Fortunately—and unlike so many wines from this appellation—it isn’t cloying, and although its finish is modest, it is refreshing and lively, providing a counterpoint to its sweetness.

In the VDN category, the 2011 Muscat-de-Rivesaltes is very full-bodied and is developing on the alcohol.

Etienne Montès, a former renowned press photographer, has been at the helm of the family estate since the late 1980s. With his deep understanding of his terroirs and their potential, he produces a fine range of IGP Côtes Catalanes wines, ranging from simple, fruit-forward wines to full-bodied cuvées—such as the very famous Commandant Jaubert. The fortified wines (VDN) are very serious in character but sometimes struggle to temper their warmth. The entire range is genuine and of a high standard. Wine lovers will find beautiful, authentic wines here that age very well in the cellar. However, a tendency toward heavy alcohol content is a recurring issue, which detracts from the finesse of the wines and leads us to remove the estate’s star rating. A few technical and stylistic adjustments would likely be enough to breathe new life into the style of these wines, whose depth of flavor is undeniable.