We’ve now offered six of these ancient Rivesaltes bottlings, from a smattering of rural French families, and have doled them out in thimble-sized quantities each time. And, each time, they’ve swiftly sold out, never to be seen or heard from again. Today, we’ve stumbled across another ridiculously small, “new” parcel from the ‘50s that aged decades before its eventual discovery and a quiet unveiling to the cognoscenti. Let me put it another way: In 1958, gas cost about a quarter, NASA was founded, Palmer won his first masters, and today’s 63-year-old fortified gem was being put into a single foudre, where it continuously slumbered until 2017.
For us, experiences don’t get more rare, intimate, and extraordinarily profound than this. As usual with mind-expanding nectars of this nature, Château Villargeil’s 1958 Rivesaltes has only been savored by a few prestigious critics and lucky collectors. Meaning, today, you have a fantastic opportunity to experience a legitimate piece of bygone history that has been (1) preserved throughout generations and (2) experienced by next to no-one. It holds luxuriously rich and evolved textures that stretch wide and deep, with a finish that nearly matches the six decades it took to create this masterwork. Purchases must be capped at three per person.
This gem wouldn’t be in front of you without Philippe and Sandrine Gayral, a husband and wife treasure-hunting team who’ve spent the bulk of their careers scouring Southern France and uncovering these sacred, all-but-forgotten wine antiques. It all started roughly 20 years ago when they stumbled upon a cache of vin doux naturel that had been aging in barrels for generations. That discovery led to a startling revelation: Dozens of families from all over Rivesaltes had been quietly preserving small stocks of wine—not for resale, mind you, but rather as family heirlooms that were siphoned off for special occasions.
After tasting the first one, Philippe dedicated a career to scouring the countryside of Rivesaltes, Banyuls, and Maury in search of these “forgotten barrels.” He would meet with the families, who would then point them to their one or two barrels from decades past. Assuming nobody cared about the wine, some estates were ecstatic when he offered to buy the barrels and bottle them for resale. Others, however, took years of convincing. And then there were some estates that would tell them the barrel in question was from another local producer, bought by a friend of a friend long ago, so they would have to follow whatever breadcrumb trail remained. If that’s not a passion project, I don’t know what is!
Southern France’s Vin Doux Naturel (VDN), was first made in the 13th-century when ‘mutage’ was discovered. Put simply, this is a process where a neutral spirit is added to prematurely kill yeast and suspend fermentation, leaving a concentrated, sweet wine with elevated alcohol (essentially the same practice used to make Port, but this does not taste like port!). The Languedoc-Roussillon region has been the traditional home of these wines in appellations such as Maury, Banyuls, and today’s AOC of origin, Rivesaltes.
Not much confirmation can be gleaned from Château Villargeil, other than that (1) the estate was founded in the late 1600s, (2) they were a major provider for France’s sweet wine-loving contingent back in the mid-20th century, and (3) this specific bottling was made by the grandfather of current proprietor Véronique Viguier. Today’s offering predominantly consists of hand-harvested Grenache Noir with small percentages of other Grenache mutations and Maccabeu that were fermented and fortified before resting in a foudre (a massive, old French barrel) for 59 consecutive years. It was bottled without any additives by Philippe in 2017.
For gems like this, I must always reiterate that it would be a crime to lose it in a cluster of wines at a party, so make sure you’re in a clear state of mind and in a quieter environment with close friends. One or two ounces should be served around 55-60 degrees in an all-purpose stem and savored slowly. Plus, because each sweet sip brings incalculable depth, power, and concentration, there’s no rush to consume your bottle: It can be enjoyed over several weeks if placed in the fridge with the cork inserted or further cellared for decades to come. The wine pours a deep, viscous amber and slowly wafts out opulent, intoxicating aromas of flambéed pear, orange marmalade, quince paste, candied hazelnut, nougat, caramel, cigar ash, loose tobacco, marzipan, caramel, fruit liqueur, and exotic spice. It’s incredibly rich and complex but with enough acidity, maturity, and savoriness to ward off any cloying sweetness. It only gets better as the days go by—I’m currently on number seven. In fact, I’m heading to the fridge right now. Enjoy!
