

Domaine Lafage

France
Joined July 2022
Our estate in the heart of Roussillon is rich in a veritable mosaic of terroirs and a unique biodiversity. In this region where our resources, especially water, are naturally limited, we are experimenting to find solutions to climate change and anticipate what will be the viticulture of tomorrow.
About
Domaine Lafage
Domaine Lafage, considered the flagship Domaine of the Roussillon, is run today by seventh generation winemakers, Jean-Marc and Eliane. The Lafage vineyard stretches from the Mediterranean coast up to the foothills of the Pyrenees, close to the Spanish border. Their multi-award-winning wines showcase the best terroirs of this amazing corner of the South of France. Jean-Marc and Eliane have always been dynamic and innovative, developing new wine styles, focusing on nurturing plots in exceptional locations of the Roussillon, exploring new viticultural techniques, and now working on reintroducing resistant and ancestral local varieties to adapt to climate change.
Bodega Emina in Ribera del Duero is a prime example of eco-sustainable construction, generating energy for their own consumption. The Emina wineries prioritize the sustainability of their buildings. Emina was the first Spanish winery company to calculate the carbon footprint of several of their wines, meaning they pioneered generating awareness of the actual environmental and atmospheric impact of their wine production. Their company’s firm commitment to sustainability has previously won them the European Business Award for the Environment (2012).
Familia Torres founded its winery in Vilafranca del Penedès in 1870, but its roots in winegrowing date back to the 16th century. Familia Torres has a historical connection to Penedès, Conca de Barberà, Priorat, and Costers del Segre, but now its presence extends to vineyards and wineries in preeminent Spanish wine regions and in Chile and California. Every generation has passed on its passion for wine culture from parents to children, a passion built on a deep respect for the Earth and tradition, as well as a belief in innovation. Today the focus of the fifth generation is on making wines from exceptional vineyards and historical estates, as well as on recovering ancestral varieties as a way of adapting to climate change. Since 2008, Familia Torres has taken active steps to combat the climate emergency, implementing adaptation and mitigation measures to reduce its carbon emissions through its ambitious environmental program, Torres & Earth.
From the legendary Château de Beaucastel to the partnership with Brad Pitt at Miraval, the Perrin family has experienced over a century of success. Famille Perrin is today the largest owner of vineyards in the best terroirs of the southern Rhone Valley in France. Pioneers of organic farming since 1953 and biodynamics since 1970, the strength of Famille Perrin is knowing how to cultivate everyone’s talents to support their vineyards but always under the auspices of common values: absolute respect for the terroir and the soils, biodynamics as a philosophy of life, pursuit for precision, balance and elegance.
A good winemaker has a thousand ways to make a wine "better,” but by whose assessment? Like any good parent, one should encourage but not mould. Each year, there is a new family to raise. It begins with meticulous biodynamic viticulture in Felton Road's four estate vineyards. Gravity flow is the start of gentle winemaking. Ferments are spontaneous. Inert gas is shunned. Oak is a subtle companion. The malo, a function the warm spring air. Pinots are unrefined, unfiltered; Chardonnays, likewise. The bottling of single vineyard wines are based on speaking of a place, not on a selected hierarchy of flavour.