In the high hills above Siran, where ancient vineyards had returned to wilderness, Paul Durand made his stand. He wasn't interested in the comfortable vineyards of Minervois La Livenière below. He wanted the forgotten places, the odd pockets of land tucked into mountain crevices where Romans once grew vines.

Paul Louis Eugène—named for his father Louis and grandfather Eugène—was one of France's first rebels to reject the entire appellation system. While others relied on AOC status, Durand bottled everything as Vin de Table, believing the wine itself should be its only argument. His five hectares produced maybe 17 different grape varieties, from traditional Carignan to utterly non-Languedoc Pinot Noir, each an experiment in what these abandoned soils could express.

His damp cellar contained no new oak—just old barrels where wines sometimes aged for three years without racking, without fining, without filtration. He believed the lees would reintegrate themselves, that time would clarify what intervention could not. According to author Paul Strang, he called this long élevage the “clothing” for his wines, to which he provided only the frame.

The 2006 Canto Pebré represents Paul at his most essential: Carignan and Grenache from those high, wild vineyards, bottled on October 2, 2007 (the lot code L-2-10-07 tells us this secret, since Vin de France cannot carry vintage dates). It spent that year in his damp cave, then another 18 years waiting for this moment.

In 2011, when last seen, Paul was diminished by illness. By 2013, he'd sold the domaine to producers who “departed radically from his vision.” But Paul, true to form, kept cases of his wines somewhere, continuing to sell them to the faithful few who knew how to find him. Then, silence. Even his old friends in the region don't know if he still lives.

WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT

A Living Relic: This isn't just old wine—it's a 19-year old time capsule from a producer who might no longer exist, made in a traditional style. He caused a sensation many years ago, and then vanished.

The Anti-Commerce Wine: Paul was so averse to selling that he gave Kermit Lynch bread instead of wine when he came calling. These bottles exist despite, not because of, any commercial ambition. 

Peak Maturity: At nearly 20 years old, this Carignan-Grenache blend has reached that magical place where fruit transforms into something ethereal—savory leather, cherries, herbs, earth.

The Last Bottles?: With Paul vanished and his estate transformed, these might be the final bottles of true Paul Louis Eugène wine in existence. When they're gone, only the story remains.

HOW TO SERVE IT

• Don’t decant—this wine has been sleeping for two decades and decanting will give it the bends. Stand it up for at least a day, use a, well, Durand, to open it, and serve at 58-62°F.
  

• Drink now. While Paul's wines were built to last, this has already lived its life beautifully. Every bottle opened is one less link to his vanished world.
  

• Perfect with simple, earthy foods that won't compete with it—roasted vegetables, aged cheese, crusty bread. Or drink it alone as a vino da meditazione.