The hills around the ancient city of Perpignon in far southeastern France have been producing grapes for sweet wines since early Roman times, and they’ve been revered for fortified wines for centuries–long before this nation's founders were consuming copious amounts of Port and Madeira. Yet these historic wines, known as vin doux naturel, are all but forgotten in the U.S., but I think that should change! And what better way to advocate for these rarities than a bottle of perfectly aged, 1986 Rivesaltes. A rich, hedonistic, and outrageously complex nectar is here for the taking, and the price is half that of a similarly pedigreed Port or Madeira. Luxurious, liquid gold in a bottle is always a rare treat, and this bottle is doubly so since we have just a few cases and it’s only available right here!
The Roman historian Pliny The Elder (who loved to document the production and consumption of fermented beverages) mentions sweet wines from Narbonne–on the northern edge of the current Rivesaltes AOC zone–dating back to the beginning of the common era, but the process of fortifying the wine with distilled spirits, known as mutage, was likely invented by a Catalan chemist/alchemist named Arnaldus de Villa Nova. This process, also known as fortification, involves adding a neutral spirit to fermenting grape must before the fermentation is complete, stopping the process while there is still a healthy percentage of residual sugar and also raising the alcohol level. In essence then, Rivesaltes and its vin doux naturel siblings such as Banyuls, are the ancestors of all fortified wines, from Sherry to Port to Marsala.
By the 19th century the process and geographical zones of Rivesaltes were enshrined in French law, and they joined the AOC system from the very beginning. Around the same time a group of Benedictine monks created a local cooperative to help support the farmers who were unable to produce their own wine. Named for an influential monk, Dom Brial, this distinct, quality driven co-op now boasts over 140 grower-members and covers a whopping 4300 acres of vineyards in the Roussillon region. The production is dominated by still, dry wines, but Rivesaltes remains their passion and labor of love.
Today’s soulful, luxurious, intensely deep bottle of 1986 is made up of three of the AOC’s most important varieties: Maccabeu, Grenache Gris, and Grenache Blanc. If you’re keeping tabs and thinking those are all white or pinkish grapes you are correct. Before the mutage and long aging occurs the now deep, amber brown and copper wine starts its life as a fresh white. Vintage fortified wines with decades of age like this beauty are best served at cellar temperature in an all-purpose or dessert stem. Give it just a few gentle swirls and aromas that have hibernated and evolved for almost 40 years come roaring out: Honey, quince paste, apricot liqueur, tamarind, toffee, gingerbread, marmalade, turned earth, spiced fruitcake, nougat, orange zest, crème brûlée, caramel, and vanilla. The palate is richly layered but an impressive bolt of acidic energy persists throughout and removes any sense of cloying weight, and helps support one of the longest finishes you’ll ever have in wine. Serve with a cheese course or dessert during a lavish meal, or just enjoy with a few almonds at the end of a long day. Once opened it will last for many months, but it’s so good you won’t have to worry about that!
