| Caves de l'Abbé Rous wines | |
BANYULS GRAND GRU Region: Banyuls AOC, France Description: With a Burnt topaz gold color, the wines is powerful, with sweet spices and toasted and oak notes. Typical flavor of the cognacs in evolution ("rancho"); notes of violets, fresh and roasted nuts with rich, ample fully structured all in delicacy. Walnuts, champignons, stewed apples, prunes, hints of cinnamon and spices, with subtle notes of fresh tobacco leaf... The end reveals coffee and toffee... endless. The tannins are present on a velvety structure. |
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Caves L'Abbe' Rous
L'Abbé Rous was a famous priest who started bottling and selling Banyuls in the XIX Century to raise money to build a church in the Catalogne du Nord, just inside the French border on the Pyrénées Orientales.
In 1977, under the L’Abbe' Rous name, a large group of wine growers (750) formed a consortium and started making wines of Banyuls AOC and Collioure. The range is quite impressive as they have more than 1150 hectares to deal with.
The Banyuls AOC (appellation d’origine controlle') covers 4 villages (including Banyuls and the picturesque Collioure) down at the far tip of France just before the border with Spain. With the Mediterranean on one side and the Pyrenees on the other, the vineyards cling to steep man-made terraces on schistose soils with a rocky substratum. Grenache is the dominant grape variety here, and yields are very low.
The AOC Banyuls has been in existence since 1936 and the Banyuls Grand Cru since 1962. The French Government has extended the appellation as Grand Cru to previous vintages though as long as because the legal parameters have been met to allow previous vintages bottled after 1962 to be called Grand Cru.
To be a Banyuls Grand Cru requires a maximum yield of 30hl/ha, at least 75% Grenache and at least 30 months of ageing in large wooden casks or barrels.
Because of their history and the incredible Banyuls’ aging potential, the "cavistes" started to keep a very limited amount of their top Banyuls that will be sold as their flagship product, being their more precious wine and only from the best vintages.
In 2001 they released the 1929 in very limited amount which is currently almost impossible to find - the wine we are offering here is the most recent release Les Caves de l’Abbe' Rous Banyuls AOC Grand Cru - the1947. 1947 is one of the greatest vintage ever produced throughout France!
This Banyuls is made from 100% Grenache Noir and follows the procedure of "mutage", typical for Banyuls and Port wines - where fermentation is stopped by adding pure grape alcohol, so that the wines retain some sweetness.
It is due to the maceration period of approximately 30 days and the controlled oxidization that takes place during the extended aging process that gives the wine much of its character.
The aging has been done in Foudres (317G) and Demi Muids (159G) until bottling in November 2005; this wine was released at the end of 2007.
Banyuls are rich, dark wines where notes of toffee and coffee beans combine with spices and tobacco. Once opened, Banyuls can last up to 6 weeks and work well as an aperitif or as dessert wine, particularly with chocolate based desserts and cheese.
Tasting notes for this 1947 signal a powerful wine, with a sweet spicy aroma, violets, toasty and fresh nuts - typical of cognacs in evolution, in French called "rancho" ; the taste is rich, ample with walnuts, stewed apples, cinnamon, spices with coffee, tobacco and leather finish all packed in a velvety structure.
L'Abbé Rous was a famous priest who started bottling and selling Banyuls in the XIX Century to raise money to build a church in the Catalogne du Nord, just inside the French border on the Pyrénées Orientales.
In 1977, under the L’Abbe' Rous name, a large group of wine growers (750) formed a consortium and started making wines of Banyuls AOC and Collioure. The range is quite impressive as they have more than 1150 hectares to deal with.
The Banyuls AOC (appellation d’origine controlle') covers 4 villages (including Banyuls and the picturesque Collioure) down at the far tip of France just before the border with Spain. With the Mediterranean on one side and the Pyrenees on the other, the vineyards cling to steep man-made terraces on schistose soils with a rocky substratum. Grenache is the dominant grape variety here, and yields are very low.
The AOC Banyuls has been in existence since 1936 and the Banyuls Grand Cru since 1962. The French Government has extended the appellation as Grand Cru to previous vintages though as long as because the legal parameters have been met to allow previous vintages bottled after 1962 to be called Grand Cru.
To be a Banyuls Grand Cru requires a maximum yield of 30hl/ha, at least 75% Grenache and at least 30 months of ageing in large wooden casks or barrels.
Because of their history and the incredible Banyuls’ aging potential, the "cavistes" started to keep a very limited amount of their top Banyuls that will be sold as their flagship product, being their more precious wine and only from the best vintages.
In 2001 they released the 1929 in very limited amount which is currently almost impossible to find - the wine we are offering here is the most recent release Les Caves de l’Abbe' Rous Banyuls AOC Grand Cru - the1947. 1947 is one of the greatest vintage ever produced throughout France!
This Banyuls is made from 100% Grenache Noir and follows the procedure of "mutage", typical for Banyuls and Port wines - where fermentation is stopped by adding pure grape alcohol, so that the wines retain some sweetness.
It is due to the maceration period of approximately 30 days and the controlled oxidization that takes place during the extended aging process that gives the wine much of its character.
The aging has been done in Foudres (317G) and Demi Muids (159G) until bottling in November 2005; this wine was released at the end of 2007.
Banyuls are rich, dark wines where notes of toffee and coffee beans combine with spices and tobacco. Once opened, Banyuls can last up to 6 weeks and work well as an aperitif or as dessert wine, particularly with chocolate based desserts and cheese.
Tasting notes for this 1947 signal a powerful wine, with a sweet spicy aroma, violets, toasty and fresh nuts - typical of cognacs in evolution, in French called "rancho" ; the taste is rich, ample with walnuts, stewed apples, cinnamon, spices with coffee, tobacco and leather finish all packed in a velvety structure.
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