Domaine Lafage 'Les Sardines' Chardonnay is an elegant and charming wine that captures the calm relaxing feel of the mediterranean.  The nose reveals delicate white peach and honeyed notes, underpinned by a refreshing minerality and gentle texture. Silky on the palate with a clean, lingering finish, it's equally at home as an aperitif or paired with fresh seafood and summer salads.

About the Producer

Domaine Lafage is situated between Perpignan and the Spanish border in Côtes Catalanes, in Roussillon, and has been run by Jean-Marc and Eliane Lafage since 2001. Together, they travelled the world, spending many a season harvesting grapes and making wine in South America, the United States (California), South Africa and Germany before settling back in the Roussillon. Domaine Lafage, which has a winemaking history dating back to 1798, prides itself on producing fine and elegant wines from the mosaic of vineyards in the dry, windy and rugged landscape. For over a decade, the Roussillon region has been grappling with the full force of climate change. Domaine Lafage has been transforming its viticultural practices and laying the groundwork to be able to face climatic challenges the future may bring. They place great emphasis on sustainability, and climate resistance in the form of regenerative agriculture and water monitoring. Harvesting also takes place earlier to retain natural freshness, which is translated in the elegance of their wines.

Vineyard and Winery

While labelled a Vin de France, the Chardonnay grapes come from the Pyrénées- Orientales subregion of the Roussillon. Nestled within a natural amphitheatre open to the Mediterranean Sea, Roussillon’s vineyards are surrounded by mountain ranges and benefit from an ideal climate, perfect for the cultivation of vines. The region’s tumultuous geological history and resulting soil and subsoil diversity have created an extraordinary patchwork of micro-terroirs. The grapes come from the vineyard site close to the sea, where the soils are very rich and deep. The influence of the cooling sea breezes mitigates the warm, sunny climate and encourages a long hangtime during which the Chardonnay grapes build aromatic complexity and retain balancing acidity. This cuvée pays homage to the Catalan fishermen, who used to fish by trawling with a net carried by a boat, some 300 metres from the shoreline. The net was then manually hauled up from the beach by the strength of the fishermen. At the end of the day, all the fish were shared, along with ‘the glass of friendship’! Les Sardines Chardonnay was created as a tribute to these moments on the beaches of this stunning coastline and to recapture the "joie de vivre".

The grapes were crushed and cooled to 5°C, before being gently macerated for 10 hours. A light racking took place, followed by fermentation at controlled temperatures of 18°C. 7% of the blend underwent malolactic conversion, imparting a gentle texture on the palate. The wine was aged on the fine lees for five months, before being bottled to capture the freshness and vibrancy.