WTN: Domaine Lafage "La Rétro"

[Robin Garr]

Packaged in a liter bottle with a label that's, well, retro, this tasty treat from Eric Solomon would be great for a picnic or just about any casual meal. La Rétro, as the importer describes it, is “unpretentious and joyful … a recreation of a style of wine from the last century.” It’s a field blend of Grenache (60%), Carignan (30%), Grenache Gris (7%), and the rarely seen Lladoner, a Grenache cousin (3%), all sustainably grown on 20- to 50-plus-year-old vines.

Domaine Lafage 2020 "La Rétro" Côtes Catalanes "Les Années Folles" ($17.99/liter)

A rustic field blend of traditional grapes, Domaine Lafage 2020 "La Rétro" shows a pretty light-garnet color. Delicious scents of raspberries and strawberries and juicy ripe cherries whet your appetite for more. Cherry-berry fruit continues in the bright and dry flavor over a firm acidic foundation with light but persistent tannins gathering in the long finish. 12.5% alcohol. U.S. importer: European Cellars LLC, Charlotte, N.C., Eric Solomon Selections (May 31, 2023)

FOOD MATCH: As a dry, fruity, acidic and slightly tannic red, it would likely go where just about any simple table wine from Northern Italy or Southern France would go: Red meat, certainly, but even better, burgers, sausages, pizza, hard cheeses, rustic bean dishes. And, of course, picnic and cookout fare!

WHEN TO DRINK: It's made to enjoy now, but I see no reason to fear that it will go over the cliff during the next year or two. Buy it and enjoy it at your leisure.

VALUE:
Wine-Searcher.com shows an $14 average U.S. retail, for a 750 ml bottle, which roughly corresponds to my $17 tab for the one-liter bottle. Either way, it's a good value and I'd gladly buy it again.

WEB LINK:
This loving reflection on La Rétro is on importer Eric Solomon's page about the wine. Click "keep reading" on the first section to see it all. Here's a link to a more detailed tech sheet.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Lafage "La Rétro" on Wine-Searcher.com.

Follow this Wine-Searcher link to read about Domaine Lafage and its wine maker Jean-Marc Lafage and browse retailers for the producer's other wines.

… a recreation of a style of wine from the last century.

19th or 20th century?

[Robin Garr]

… a recreation of a style of wine from the last century.

19th or 20th century?

Ha! Good question, even almost one-fourth of the way into the 21st, but the wine's subtitle gives it away: "Les Années Folles" were the Roaring (19)20s.

"Les Années Folles" were the Roaring (19)20s.

Ah yes, a fine time!

[David M. Bueker]

Oh yeah…robber barons, The Great Depression…fun!

[Robin Garr]

Oh yeah…robber barons, The Great Depression…fun!

Hmmm.
Robber Barons: 1890s
Roaring Twenties: 1920s
Great Depression: 1928-41

[David M. Bueker]

Oh yeah…robber barons, The Great Depression…fun!

Hmmm.
Robber Barons: 1890s
Roaring Twenties: 1920s
Great Depression: 1928-41

Plenty of robber barons still around in the 20s.

[Robin Garr]

And the 2020s!

[David M. Bueker]

Indeed. Must be a 100 year thing.