Cantaca, Domaine Lafage 2022
James Suckling 93
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Why this wine
A four-grape white that ignores appellation lines to chase freshness, drawing Chardonnay, Petit Manseng and Chenin off cool clay-limestone near Limoux and Sauvignon Blanc from granite and schist at 450 metres. Eighteen months in cask on its lees give it weight without costing it acidity. Lafage's regenerative farming is among the more serious answers to Roussillon's drought.
At a glance
- Grape
- Chardonnay 40%, Petit Manseng 30%, Chenin Blanc 20%, Sauvignon Blanc 10%
- Region
- Vin de France, France
- Alcohol
- 13.50%
- Body
- Medium
- Acidity
- Medium
- Sweetness
- Dry
- Drink
- Medium (5-10 yrs)
- Pairs with
- Poultry & Pork, Seafood, Rich & Creamy Dishes
How it tastes
Bright golden in the glass, with an intense exotic nose of pineapple, mango, apricot and peach mingling with floral and cedar notes. The palate carries all of that with excellent length, a hint of white pepper and a sapid finish, held together by real freshness. Chardonnay 40%, Petit Manseng 30%, Chenin Blanc 20%, Sauvignon Blanc 10%.
The producer
Domaine Lafage sits between Perpignan and the Spanish border in the Côtes Catalanes, in Roussillon, and has been run by Jean-Marc and Eliane Lafage since 2001, on an estate whose winemaking history dates back to 1798; the couple harvested and made wine in South America, California, South Africa and Germany before settling back home. The Chardonnay, Petit Manseng and Chenin come from a hillside near Limoux on clay-limestone, under a continental climate, while the Sauvignon Blanc grows at 450 metres above Saint-Martin de Fenouillet on granite arena and black schist. The vineyards are worked by regenerative agriculture – low-density plant cover, no ploughing, and biochar to build the soil's biological and physical fertility – with different methods of cultivating water being trialled against Roussillon's extreme drought. The grapes were cold-macerated on skins for 24 hours, the juice stabilised for 30 days, then fermented in cask and aged on its lees for 18 months.
Food and drinking
Serve at 10–12°C. It suits roast pork, seared scallops, a creamy chicken dish and a mild curry, and will drink well over the next five to ten years. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.