Mas Amiel Maury Vintage 2007

Winemaker's Notes:

Maury is surrounded by the Rivesaltes appellation. The mountains to the north denote the end of Corbieres and of the Aude department. Maury is thus in Pyrenees-Orientales and thus Catalan in nature. As Paul Strang vividly writes: 'It lives in the shadow of the Cathar stronghold of Quéribus, the massive profile of whose tower dominates the landscape for miles around. If you come down from these heights the soil suddenly changes. Everywhere there is black schist, sometimes as dark as coal; the vines brilliant green, their tufts flowing freely in the Tramontane wind, looks as if they have been planted in the ashes of the Cathar martyrs who were burnt alive for their faith in the mountains of the South'. The story of Mas Amiel begins in 1816 when Raymond Amiel won the deeds to the property from the Bishop of Perpignan in a game of cards. If the [ it until his death in 1916. Charles's son, Jean took over and started to produce high quality wine under the Mas Amiel label. He extended the vineyard, digging up the hillside to plant new vines. The vintage red Maury is made in the same style as the rimage wines of Banyuls. From 100% Grenache Noir grown on the south-facing broken schists and marne soils and yields of 25 hl/ha, the grapes are subsequently sorted, destemmed and vinified in the normal way. The alcohol is added while the wine is still in the vat (mutage sur les grains), which slows down the final fermentation, allowing a longer period of maceration and thereby conferring greater richness. This Maury is ruby with violet tints and the nose eloquently expresses framboise, cherry and crème-de-cassis. It is smooth in the mouth, the red fruits reinforced by bitter chocolate and spice as well as fine tannins.