Banyuls Rimage Domaine de Valcros Cazes 2019 500ml

Banyuls Rimage Domaine de Valcros 500ml, (previously Clos des Paulilles) vin doux naturel, biodynamic fortified wine. With its summer pudding and mocha flavours (not to mention dried herbs, prune and caramel) it marries well with cheese (much like Port), chocolate and even with classic French savoury dishes such as rabbit, hare or venison braised with a chocolate sauce. By law the grapes harvested for Banyuls must contain 254 grams of sugar per litre. The hand-selected grapes are then de-stemmed, fermentation is stopped by addition of grape brandy and the wine continues to macerate on the skins for a further three weeks before being aged in tanks.

Clos des Paulilles is based in a small pretty Mediterranean seaside village just north of the Franco-Spanish border.

The vineyard was established in 1800 and acquired by Cazes in 2012. Collioure is considered to have some of the finest wines in the south of France, an unsurprising fact when you realise that its yields are some of the lowest in France. The soils are a schist, on very steep terraces and rolling hills, totalling 90 hectares. The estate works with biodynamic viticulture, aiming for natural balance through biodiversity and minimal intervention.