2023 Centenaire, Domaine Lafage

White Gold by the Sea.

Radiant, textured and quietly striking, Centenaire is one of those whites that feels special from the very first swirl. Citrus, pear and white blossom burst from the glass, followed by quince, honeysuckle and a subtle creamy note that gives the wine extra breadth without dulling its freshness. Beneath the fruit, there is a lovely mineral tension, wet gravel, crushed stone and a faint saline edge, which keeps everything focused and gives the wine its sense of shape and poise. Rich, yes, but also lifted and beautifully composed, it finishes long, fresh and full of quiet confidence.

For when: the food is elegant, the sun is still out, and the white needs to feel every bit as memorable as the occasion.
Pairs with: grilled lobster, roast chicken, turbot, or creamy dishes with herbs and citrus.
If this wine were a place: a terrace above the Mediterranean, where warm air meets cool stone and the sea glints in the distance.

Domaine Lafage is based between Perpignan and the Spanish border in Roussillon, where Jean-Marc and Eliane Lafage have built one of the south of France’s most admired estates. Centenaire is made from 100-year-old bush vines planted in Canet-en-Roussillon, facing the Mediterranean on stony, gravelly soils near the foothills of the Pyrenees. That remarkable vine age, combined with sea influence and poor soils, gives the wine its wonderful concentration, mineral detail and beautifully judged freshness.