I know I’ve said this before in previous posts, but I think it deserves repeating; dessert wines are a tremendous value for the price. Unfortunately, they are also one of the least purchased wine styles on the market today, which could at east partially explain my first point. That said, I feel like I’m also guilty of not covering enough of them on the site. But with my new “Sip of the Day” articles I’m planning on talking about them more often.
The wine we’re discussing today is something unique that you don’t find very often, but should not be passed up when you do. Coming from southern France’s Roussillon region, the wine that we’re about to cover is a Banyuls. These wines are something like France’s version of Port. Made with a variety of grapes, predominantly Grenache, Banyuls is fortified with neutral spirits early on in its fermentation, boosting the alcohol content of the wine, while preserving the sugar in the juice and leaving a sweet final product. The wine is then aged, usually in oak, allowing a bit of oxidation to occur, giving the wine a faintly caramelly, spiced quality.
The one we’re talking about today is made with Grenache harvested from vines that are at least 45 years old. Following fermentation and addition of alcohol (mutage), it spent three years in new oak barrels prior to bottling.
A rich blend of black plums and cherries, concord grape preserves, and deep, red rose petals shows initially on the nose. A spin in the glass reveals a more subtle combination of nuances, all defined by dark fruit and delicate floral tones.
The palate is ripe, dense, and smooth, with a balancing crispness that elevates its weight. Dried herbal notes of basil and thyme accent deep notes of black plum and berry preserves, supported by a thick undertone of black stone. Sweet, rich, and very nicely integrated, this is a very solid dessert wine.
Worth Buying. 91 points.
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The Grapevine: What’s your favorite style of dessert wine?
