The wines of Mendall, Terra Alta, Spain

The wines of Mendall, Terra Alta, Spain
Really lovely natural wines from Laureano Serres

Website: www.serres.net

These are natural wines; as natural as they come.

After a career in IT, Laureano Serres moved back to the land. He was the head of the local co-operative winery, but he wanted to take it in a more natural direction. So they sacked him.

He started out in his own cellar in El Pinell de Brai (Tarragona, Catalunya, Spain), and makes a large range of wines with nothing added at all. Serres works 6 hectares of low yielding vines, and he has a small cellar which is under his home in the village.

But most importantly, the wines are special. Really special.

THE WINES

Mendall Macabeu Terme de Guiu Blanc 2010 Terra Alta, Spain
Beautifully nutty, reductive and minerally with pear fruit. So pure and expressive with a long finish. A lovely reductive white wine. 93/100

Mendall Macabeu Finca Abuerador Blanc 2010 Terra Alta, Spain
Complex and intense with lively, nutty apple and pear fruit. Very fine with a long finish. So expressive and nutty. 93/100

Mendall Macabeu Blanc del 5 2005 Terra Alta, Spain
Complex, textured nutty pear fruit. Smooth and refined. 92/100

Mendall Garnaxta del Pais BP Finca Espartal ‘Roig’ 2009 Terra Alta, Spain
Warm, sweetly aromatic cherry fruit. Rich with some herbal notes. So lovely. Rich and warm yet fresh with a sweetly fruited palate, broad texture, elegance and a slightly tingly finish. Very natural and quite lovely. 95/100

Mendall Garnaxta Finca Espartal 2009 Terra Alta, Spain
Bright red colour. Slightly reductive and very fresh with lovely sweet, pure cherry fruit. Nice savoury complexity alongside the sweet fruit. Amazing purity, with attractive reduction. 94/100

Mendall Carinena lo Terme de Guiu 2010 Terra Alta, Spain
Bright red colour. Lovely sweet pure fruit. Vivid cherry and plum fruit nose. The palate shows fresh, savoury edged cherry and plum fruit. Youthful and grippy, yet quite fine. 93/100

UK agent: Raeburn