Terme de Laureano 3 Blanc, Mendall 2021

Laureano Serres is a legend of the Catalan wine scene. His home and cellar are based in El Pinell de Brai, a hot, dusty little town that looks like something out of a Spaghetti Western and serves as the unlikely ground zero of the region’s lively wine scene.

A pioneer who has been influential in inspiring others in the area to return to their winemaking roots, Laureano was also there the night the Brutal Wine Corporation was founded and is an organiser of one of Europe’s most talked about wine fairs, H20 Vegetal. He has worked with organic fruit from the very beginning and since 2002, after forgetting to add any sulphur to the wines and liking the result, he has never looked back. He now farms six hectares of vineyards spread over parcels in El Pinell at around 170 metres of altitude and higher up in the Terra Alta, where they reach some 500 metres above sea level. There is little topsoil, meaning the vines dig right into the limestone bedrock below. The terroir lends the wines a freshness and complexity that is not always common in this part of the world.

Macabeo from forty five year old vines planted just under five hundred metres above sea level in Vilalba dels Arcs. The grapes were fermented for two days, before being pressed to vats for nine months of rest. Pale, straw yellow in the glass, this is almost classical in style, balancing complex notes of peach, white flowers and sea salt with aplomb, and a touch of oxidation reminding Jura wines, beautiful wine!

Producer  Mendall of Laureano Serres

Origin El Pinell de Brai, Terra Alta, Catalonia, Spain

Grapes Macabeo

Vintage 2021

Alcohol  14% ABV

Style Medium body natural white

Bottle size 750ml

Winemaking Manual harvested, grapes fermented on skin for 2 days in stainless steel with ingigenous yeast.Aged for 9 months. Undergoes naturally malolactic fermentation. Unfiltred, unfined, no SO2.

Notes Biodynamic, Natural, Organic