Traginer Banyuls Grand Cru 2008 500ml

Traginer Banyuls Grand Cru 2008 500ml, biodynamic wine, long ageing, lightly oxidised, rich, soft, nutty, dried fruits, spice, superb. Grapes are hand harvested and then are fermented in stainless steel. The wine is then aged for 8 years in small old barrels. The wine continues to mature in bottle and goes quite pale in colour, with a brick red, even slightly brown hue. The aromas and flavours are sublime, dried fruits, spice, nuts, herbs and earthy notes underneath, with some mature cheese or conversely, some dark Chocolate, it is magical.

The Domaine du Traginer is an 16 hectare estate which stands on steep schist slopes of Banyuls sur Mer, where the Pyrenees meets the Mediterranean Sea. It benefits from a very sunny exposure and has been farmed using organic and biodynamic methods since 1997, though Jean-François started experimenting some 10 years earlier. The vineyards have a very low yield, and they aim to heed to ancestral traditions in their purest form. Accordingly, part of the vineyard is still ploughed with the help of a mule, guided by his 'Traginer', the Catalan term for muleteers. Anicet, Jean-François's uncle, is the last Traginer in Banyuls, as well as the most famous. At Domaine du Traginer, they never use selected yeasts and enzymes, only the best grapes and natural fermentations. Some wines are produced without sulphites. This is traditional Banyuls at its best.