2022 La Tour Vieille Banyuls Rimage Mise Tardive, Roussillon, France - 500ML

ABOUT THIS WINE

The ancient art of Banyuls is disappearing at a frightening pace. One of its great champions and longest-standing practitioners is the wonderful, charismatic Vincent Cantié. He is the spirit of Catalan culture personified, and he makes the best Banyuls money can buy. Made from ripe Grenache picked from steep, stony hillsides above the Mediterranean on the Spanish border, Banyuls is muted with neutral alcohol to stop fermentation and preserve some residual sugar to produce a glorious after-dinner drink. Its best friend is probably a walnut tart or a flourless chocolate cake. Thomas Jefferson loved Banyuls and so can you.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

In 1981, Vincent Cantié and Christine Campadieu took over two small, family-owned domaines where they’d grown up, in Collioure and Banyuls. Together, they farm vineyards planted on steep, schist terraces overlooking the sea, exposed to the fierce and wily wind known as “La Tramontagne.” The vineyards are so steep that cultivation must be by hand, and extensive irrigation canals are the only prevention against soil erosion. At harvest, grapes are carried up and down the mountain in baskets. This method of farming, while extremely challenging, preserves the traditions of their ancestors. The heart, soul, and hard work that go into crafting these wines make their labor of love all the more delicious.