Domaine la Tour Vieille: Banyuls Réserva
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'Réserva' is a sweet, red Banyuls wine - a classic blend of Grenache Noir and Carignan (10%). It has a spicy, dried fruit, pluminess, rather like a tawny port.
Banyuls wine can be consumed chilled as a decadent pre-prandial sharpener, and makes a marvellous match for dark chocolate desserts. An open bottle will keep happily in the fridge for a fortnight, although not chez Yapp alas!
Our old friends Christine Campedieu and Vincent Cantié, and their viticulturist Jean Bails, have an excellent track record of producing lovingly-crafted wines with a stronge sense of 'terroir' and tradition. Not to be overlooked, their celebrated Banyuls 'Réserva' is raised in the open air in spherical glass bonbonnes. Much more than just a dessert wine, this Banyuls has a raisin and red fruit bouquet and a succulent, sweet palate of figs and stewed Autumnal berries.
| Style | Red Wine, Moelleux, Full-bodied, Non Sparkling |
|---|---|
| Wine Region | Roussillon, Banyuls |
| Grape Variety (Cépage) | Carignan, Grenache Noir |
| Food & Wine Matching | Blue Cheese, Chocolate |
| Viticulture | Non-Organic |
| Vintage | Non Vintage |
| Cellarage | Like Port or Madeira, 'Réserva' Banyuls wine has good longevity and will keep for 20 years. |
| Vinification | The vines are planted on precipitous slopes of schist, making machine-harvesting out of the question. Following the harvest, fermentation is arrested by a process of mutage whereby a precise volume of pure alcohol is added to the wine to kill the yeast cells driving fermentation, leaving some unconverted sugar and fortifying the wine. The wine is then blended with older vintages through a solera system which dates back to 1952, hence its non-vintage status. This wine is classified as a Vin Doux Naturel. |
| Alcohol By Volume (%) | 16 |
Domaine la Tour Vieille (Vincent Cantié)
Domaine la Tour Vieille was created in the early 80s by Vincent Cantié (from Collioure) and Christine Campadieu (from Banyuls) from their respective family domaines. It now comprises 32 acres of vines on vertiginous schist terraces overlooking the sea which have to be meticulously farmed by hand, making harvesting more perilous than most. Buffeted by the hefty Tramontane wind, this is viticulture at its toughest.
They have an excellent track record of producing lovingly-crafted wines, both still and fortified, with a strong sense of terroir and tradition.
View more wines from this producer...
One Minute Review - Domaine la Tour Vieille: Banyuls Réserva
Christine Campadieu of Domaine la Tour Veille introduces the Banyuls Réserva - a fortified sweet wine ideal with desserts, chocolate, blue cheese or dried fruit.
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