Lafage Centenaire

Born in Perpignan, Jean-Marc Lafage has established himself as a renowned consulting winemaker. In addition to farming 160 hectares of vines close to Perpignan with his wife Elaine, he also consults for wineries in Chile, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, France, Italy and Spain. Their vineyards in the Côtes Catalanes represent different aspects of the region and allow the couple to produce a broad range of wine styles. They have the benefit in having a high percentage of vines that are over 50 years old. Brought up during the 1970’s, Jean-Marc worked the vines with his father without mechanization. Still harvesting fruit by hand, in the cellar his approach is uncomplicated, preferred to utilize stainless steel tanks, concrete vats, and French oak demi-muids.

Cuvée Centenaire takes its name from the 100 year-old vines of Grenache Blanc and Gris Jean-Marc Lafage farms just a few kilometers from the Mediterranean on gravelly clay soils. To make a wine that is both rich and balanced the grapes are harvested in two passes, the first when they just reach ripeness and are still high in acidity and a second pass when the grapes are fully ripe with rich fruit flavors. The wine is then aged in a combination of tank and new French oak barrels.