Domaine de Rancy

Rivesaltes Ambre Vin Doux Naturel 1984

500ml
$100
  • Organic

A lot of great things happened in 1984. Prince released "When Doves Cry," the first Mac computers in the market, and this exceptional dessert wine was produced in Roussillon by Domaine de Rancy, one of the few family owned farms producing Rivesaltes Ambre. Made from 100% Macabeu, this rare dessert wine was aged for an incredible 32 years in barrel and glass demijohns before being bottled. Singularly fresh and focused, this wine has a beautiful amber color in the glass that belies the alluring and complex, mature fruit notes of sultana, fig, dried dates, quince, blood orange peel. At 40 years old, this wine shows no signs of slowing down. 

Domaine de Rancy

Jean-Hubert Verdaguer and his wife, Brigitte, helm Domaine de Rancy in the Roussillon, one of only a handful of quality wineries still producing exceptional Rivesaltes in the old Ambré style. This unique type of fortified wine is a Vin Doux Naturel, in which a pure spirit is added during fermentation to stop conversion of sugar into alcohol. These are complex and incredibly versatile dessert wines, typically 16% to 20% alcohol with 85-100 grams of residual sugar, and acidity varying between 6% and 8%. The grapes – 100% Macabeau – come from organically-farmed vineyards. It is the addition of neutral grape spirits that prevents them from obtaining organic certification on their Vin Doux Naturels. They are hand-picked late in the season, pressed, fermented, and fortified in tank. Only the best wine is chosen for barrel-aging, and it remains in barrel for up to 60 years. The wines are bottled as needed, unfined and unfiltered, and the wine is best served at room temperature to fully appreciate the intense, complex aromas that develop in the glass.

ORIGIN

Roussillon, France

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