Lafou – Els Amellers 2015

For those who don’t know it, Lafou in DO Terra Alta has quickly risen to be one of the reference cellars for the appellation. Both their reds and whites are showing the brilliant potential that’s possible in the region but is often off the radar of most people in the international wine trade. I had to really work on convincing a new importer in the US to make a trip down there with me when searching out wines but she was quite happy once we went.

Based in Batea, Lafou (which is the name of a narrow gorge where water passes in Catalan) makes this one white wine and it’s based solely on White Grenache which is the main grape that the region has been getting known for, at least locally. Despite this, it’s only in recent years that the region is now 50/50 in terms of red and white production as before, they were predominantly red like the neighboring regions of DOQ Priorat, DO Montsant, or DO Tarragona.

When it comes to White Grenache, I usually contend that there are two styles from Terra Alta: the more mineral, austere style and then the sweeter, fruitier style. I can only assume that it comes down to whether the cellar opts for a cooler or warmer alcoholic fermentation among other factors. But given that, when placing Els Amelers in one of these two groups, I realize that there’s a third group which is “Lafou” as they are currently one of if not the only cellar in Terra Alta to make a wine that spans both categories. Overall a very fine wine and worth searching out.