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MORE INFO ABOUT BANYULS AOC

SHALL WE TASTE?

TRADITIONAL RED WINE or TILE COLOURED: maturing in an oxidising environment

Eye : The robe is tiled with mahogany shades.

Nose : The aromas are intense, characterised by candied fruits, prunes, figs, cocoa and roasted notes.

Mouth : The palate is ample, velvety and has a good persistence. Thanks to the oxidative ageing, the wines develop a 'rancio' taste.

Serving temperature : Between 12°C and 16°C.

Storage capacity : 20+years

WHITE WINE (production in a reductive environment) or AMBERED WINE (maturation in an oxidising environment)

Eye : The colour is straw yellow and brilliant in its youth. It takes on tints of old amber gold with age and oxidative ageing.

Nose : Dominant floral aromas such as jasmine, citrus and white fruit scents such as apricot and pear. Spicy notes are added to the bouquet as well as musk notes.

Mouth : The palate is luscious and fruity. The freshness is impressive and perfectly balanced with the sugar and alcohol. The best white Banyuls are matured and become amber Banyuls. Their aromas are then transformed and express those of dried fruit and caramel..

Serving temperature : Between 10°C and 13°C.

Storage capacity : 20+years

RED ‘RIMAGE’ or ‘VINTAGE’ WINES: production in a reductive environment

Eye : A wine of long maceration, the colour is a deep ruby with dark, even black reflections.

Nose : Expression of fresh red and black fruits. The nose is complex and elegant.

Mouth : The Rimages cuvées are the fruitiest of the Banyuls AOC. Protected from oxidation, the wine is quickly bottled in order to preserve the maximum of fruity aromas. Full-bodied, the tannins are expressed in these wines where the intensity of the fruit is preserved.

Serving temperature : Between 10°C and 12°C.

Storage capacity : from 5 to 20 years old.

ROSÉ: production in a reductive environment

Eye : The colour is brilliant, a pretty redcurrant pink.

Nose : The bouquet is dominated by red fruits such as grenadine, currant and strawberry.

Mouth: The red fruit aromas of the nose are found in the mouth, along with a nice freshness.

Serving temperature : Between 10°C and 13°C, more likely between 8°C and 12°C when served as an aperitif.

Storage capacity : 5 to 8 years.

BANYULS RED GRAND CRU : maturation in an oxidising environment

Eye: The colour is tiled, with mahogany and brown tones.

Nose: The nose is very expressive, elegant and complex. The aromatic palette is rich, reminiscent of cooked and dried fruits, particularly prunes. Notes of brandy, cocoa, spices, tobacco, leather and roasting are added to the whole. With prolonged oxidative ageing, 'rancio' aromas develop, evoking nuts and menthol.

Mouth: The amplitude on the palate is imposing, the tannins are silky. The power on the palate is characterised by the generous alcohol, the velvety texture and the persistent finish. The complex aromas of cooked and dried fruit on the nose are echoed on the palate. The structure is fine and elegant thanks to the long maturation in tuns or oak barrels. In the case of wines with a long period of oxidation, the taste of 'rancio' appears on the palate.

Serving temperature: Between 12°C and 14°C.

Storage capacity: 20 years and more.

FOOD & WINE PAIRING

TRADITIONAL RED WINE, GRAND CRU or AMBER WHITE WINE (oxidative aging) Oxidative wines can be enjoyed on their own, as an aperitif, or with food. Their unique taste makes them excellent partners for sweet and savoury dishes. Try them with any chocolate or coffee-based dessert. Try them with any chocolate or coffee-based dessert, such as chocolate cake, chocolate fondant or chocolate profiteroles.

ROSÉ As with wines produced by oxidative ageing, Banyuls rosé can be enjoyed well chilled as an aperitif or with desserts. Its fruity aromas make it an excellent partner for red fruit desserts, such as raspberry pie or strawberry charlotte.

RIMAGE or VINTAGE WINE Fruity yet powerful, enjoy Banyuls Rimage with pan-fried foie gras or any chocolate-based dessert, especially dark chocolate. Try tarts and cakes that combine chocolate and red fruits such as raspberry and redcurrant.

Notes about Banyuls

Ageless - Hors d'âge

Banyuls with the mention Hors d'âge are marketed from the fifth year after the harvest. Depending on the type of ageing, the cuvée may have developed the taste of 'rancio' in the case of oxidative ageing.

This designation concerns the Rimages vintages. Cuvées with the 'mise tardive' mention are aged for one to three years in foudre or in toasted barrels. This allows the tannins to be rounded out, the aromas to be refined and a superb complexity to develop.

Non-vintage wine

As the name suggests, these cuvées are made by blending several vintages. Each vintage brings its own aromatic characteristics resulting from the ageing in wood.

VINS DOUX NATURELS : A MATTER OF CULTIVATION

Oxidative environment

The wines of this type of ageing are put in oak demi-muids or in tuns of 60 to 300 hectolitres. These types of containers allow contact between the wine and oxygen as they are not filled to capacity. This exchange with oxygen leads to a change in colour of the wine towards amber for white wine and towards a tile colour for red wine. Typical aromas of this type of ageing are then revealed, such as vanilla, coffee or cocoa.

In the AOC Banyuls, once the mutage has been carried out, the wines are matured outside and not inside as in most appellations. The wines are contained in large 60-litre glass bottles called "tourie", which are not tinted, if at all, so the wine oxidises more quickly. In addition, the wine is exposed to the sun and to temperature variations, which accelerates the process.

Rancio wine

A wine called "rancio" is a wine that has been aged for a long time in an oxidative way. This long exposure to oxygen gives the wine its famous "rancio" taste. This refers to particular aromas of overripe fruit and nuts such as almonds.

Reductive environment

A wine matured in a reductive medium, as opposed to an oxidative medium, is a wine kept in a sealed tank. The tank is made of stainless steel and is full. Since there is no contact with oxygen, the evolution is very slow and this allows the conservation of primary aromas and the freshness of the fruit. The wine resulting from this type of ageing is bottled very quickly. The Rimages cuvées are the result of maturing in a reducing environment.

MUTAGE: THE ORIGIN OF VDN SWEET NATURAL WINES

In 1285, Arnau de Vilanova, then Regent of the University of Montpelier and physician to the Court of the Kings of Majorca in Perpignan, made a fascinating discovery. He discovered the marriage between the grape liqueur and its brandy. This is called mutage. His knowledge came from his exchanges with Arab alchemists who taught him how to obtain alcohol from the distillation of wine.

In concrete terms, the addition of eau-de-vie to the must, stops the fermentation process and thus allows the natural conservation of the unfermented sugars. The natural sweetness is thus preserved. The addition of alcohol to the must also neutralises the yeasts, which prevents a second fermentation in the spring. The term "Muté sur grain" is used to describe the addition of alcohol at the very beginning of the process. The alcohol is added to the must before pressing. This means that the juice still contains solid particles such as skin, pulp and pips at this stage. The brandy is added 'over the grain', before fermentation.

Depending on the type of wine desired, it can be muted more or less late. The later the alcohol is added, the drier the wine. This is because the sugars are converted into alcohol during the fermentation process. Depending on whether the mutage is done before, during or after fermentation, different aromas develop. In the AOC Banyuls, the harvest is always late. Thus, the sugar level is already high at the time of harvest.

Once fermentation has stopped, maceration lasts from one to three weeks, depending on the type of wine the winegrower wants to obtain. The longer the maceration, the higher the anthocyanin, tannin and aroma content. The wines obtained are intended to be kept for a long time.

Wine transportation

Before Vilanova discovered mutage, honey and spices were added to the wine to stabilise it and ensure its transport. This changed the taste of the product considerably. With mutage, not only are the flavours preserved, but the wine is stabilised and can travel without worry.