2017 Domaine Lafage Cuvée Centenaire

Community Tasting Notes (11) Avg Score: 88.4 points

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  10/19/2021 - oakville72 Likes this wine: 89 Points

  Considering the wine four years old and my not knowing how well it's been stored, I was a bit dubious. But this southern French blend still going strong if a bit low in acid. It shows what can be done with grenache blanc (60%), grenache gris (20%) and roussanne (20%) when blended together. Too bad West Coast U.S. vintners can't make a wine this good at this price.

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  7/13/2020 - Stirling Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Medium gold colour. On the nose there is honeysuckle, stewed pear and hints of citrus. The body is full and the texture is rich and unctuous. But to keep things nicely balanced there is a lively mineral streak boosted by a jolt of acidity. Very complex wine with notes of melon, pear and citrus coming through on the finish. There is a lovely richness to the texture. Delicious wine and exceptionally good value. www.advinetures.ca

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  4/15/2020 - Redfish Likes this wine: 88 Points

  Pear, apple, lemon. Started off a little bitter but that faded. Definitely a mineral/saline quality. Very strong mid-palate. Medium acid. Good but somewhat short finish. Great summer wine but agree with some others it is better when not so chilled. 88 for now and I think I'm going back for more so may adjust (hopefully upwards).

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  3/8/2020 - Silenstvi Likes this wine:

  Nice summer white. Can’t remember where we got it.

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  11/15/2019 - Hi.its.Don.4.Wine Likes this wine: 91 Points

  We’ve all experienced it, that moment when you pull up those jeans you’re going to wear for the day and like a well-fitting glove, they hug you and you can’t but utter that sighing aahhhh. What a feeling, right?
  
  Well, that has almost nothing to do with today's wine. I bring it up as I had to relate to you my story concerning my most used pair of jeans and my thoughts as I went off a recent quest to find the wine for this post (don’t worry, I’ll get to it soon).
  
  So here I am driving in my car, on my way to the wine shop. I look down and what started out to be a barely worn tear at the left knee had now exposed itself into a 3-inch full-blown opening. My first thought is “hey, I’m now cool, I’m wearing ripped jeans.” That’s never happened with my jeans before as I usually find that obtrusive hole in the crotch rather than the knee, which precipitates me discarding the jeans altogether. I did later check that usually worn area and still plenty of life left!
  
  Maybe I should rephrase that “I’m cool” part to only “moderately cool” as I only have one rip and not the 5 or more I usually see on people, and without being sexist, just uninformed, I don’t think guys walk around in that style as much anyway. Oh well, here’s the really fun part. As I look down at that rip I can only notice this milky white patch of skin poking through. OMG! Now I have to stop somewhere to pick up a tube (or whatever it comes in) of tanning lotion, not sunscreen mind you, I’m talking that stuff you rub on and it turns that milky white skin into a radiant tan. It’s sort of the same reason I don’t wear shorts in the Summer, I look like I just arrived from 3 years working in the fiords of Norway and I never ventured outside. (You might wonder why the Norway thing, it’s that I’m half Norwegian so I wanted to add that for a true effect).
  
  Of course, the other option I have is to go buy another pair of jeans! Which is what I opted for. My fashion coolness now forever a memory, at least for others as I’ll still wear the older ripped jeans when in the house.
  
  So as for you thinking that this whimsical story doesn’t have ANY meaning to my post, I’ll segue into my usual wine review by stating that the wine I’m reviewing today comes from a family of wines which I have reviewed before, consisting of a couple of their red wines and a Rosé. This time out it is one of their white wines:
  
  Like that comfortable pair of jeans, the wines of Domaine Lafage brings with them a recognizable comfyness (new word) with their wines. Wines that allow you to relax and just take in their pleasantness and pleasurability. Once again with this white wine I found myself in that womb.
  
  The wine hit my radar through an email offer. Some quick fact-checking and a couple of 92 Point reviews all at a price of $12.99 and it was a “Wine I Couldn’t Resist!”
  
  Farming 160 hectares in the region of Roussillon in the South of France and growing primarily Grenache (Blanc, Gris & Noir), Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, Marsanne, Roussanne and Chardonnay with a significant proportion of the vines well over 50 years old, the grapes are hand-harvested and the juice is then aged using either stainless steel, concrete tanks or French oak demi-muids, it is easy to see why they have had so much success with their wines.
  
  Their “Centenaire,” taking its name from the fact that the Grenache Blanc comes from 100-year-old vines, is a blend of 80% Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris and 20% Roussanne and sees 4 months in a combination of 70% tank and 30% new French oak barrels. I’ve long been a fan of Rhone whites, especially those that are made up with more Grenache Blanc as I feel it gives the wine a bit more fruit presence, at 80%, this is already a winner in my book.
  
  Formulating a dinner consisting of Salmon, Rice, and Broccoli with a mild Sweet & Sour sauce, I whipped it all together and eagerly opened the wine to discover my prize. A wonderful wine of substantial body for white wine and bringing with it flavor notes of vivid stone fruit and crisp citrus on the finish. Almost like a Sancerre with a little more fruit to it (you know how I like Sauv Blanc). Pleasant and refreshing, the pleasant part a reminder of those ripped jeans, no wait, those comfy jeans…
  
  Once again, Domaine Lafage continues to excite and please even this staunch wine snob and with some of their wines selling under $20 a bottle, you can’t beat that!
  
  Cheers

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