We know the term 'cult winemaker' gets bandied about a fair bit, but Catalan vignernon, Laureano Serres, has more than earned the moniker. Not only is he one of the founders of the legendary open source wine label 'Brutal!!!' (which champions zero input farming, zero input winemaking and zero sulphur bottling) but his Mendall wines are regarded as some of Spain's most definitive, avant garde wines – master examples of re-imagining local and classic varieties through a hardcore natural wine lens.
Serres farms an amazing combination of mature and younger vines and focuses mainly on macabeo, but also, curiously, on carignan and grenache. His parcels total approximately six hectares of vines and are spread across the dusty, hungry-looking soils of El Pinell and higher country in Terra Alta. These plots make for wines of incredible natural acidity, compelling texture and freshness, with a general sense of minerality and detail that is so often missed in other regional wines. His white wines typically see short, gentle skin contact and are exemplars of balance, texture, intensity and detail. The reds, with their shorter than expected maceration, are energetic, vibrant, pure-feeling lighter styles. Something for everyone here. The wines mainline a unique experience and sense of deliciousness.
