Domaine Lafage 'La Retro' Les Annees Folles

Grenache / Carignan / Grenache Gris / Lladoner

Côtes Catalanes, France

Years ago, Jean Marc Lafage's father and grandfather sold most of their grapes to the local cooperative to be made into vin doux. After these grapes had been picked, his extended family would gather together to harvest those parcels that never quite reached the maturity levels required to sell them profitably. These sites were out of the way, sheltered, inauspiciously situated, and slow to ripen. And the style of wine made from them was satisfying, moderate in alcohol, light in body, and with a juicy fruit expression that perfectly suited family meals and everyday drinking. This was when wine was less of a lifestyle and more an integral part of a well-balanced life. La Rétro is made from those same slow-to-ripen vineyards so that it always has a moderate alcohol level of around 12%