100% Black Grenache dessert wine from Banyuls, France.
Sample submitted for review. SRP of $20 for a 500 ml bottle and available for as low as $17.
From the bottle:
"We suggest pairing a food, flavor or spice a similar color to the wine. Here are some suggestions:
chocolate
strawberry
blackberry
raspberry
...and foie gras, blue cheese.French dessert wine. 16.0% Alcohol"
Today's wine comes from the Banyuls vineyard in French Catalonia which is between the Pyrenees Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. The wine is made in a similar style to Port - grapes are harvested overripe and the wine is fortified with a neutral grape spirit, but only the best wines from the best vintages are "declared" which represents at most 20% of the production in a given year.
The 2009 Les Clos de Paulilles Banyuls Rimage begins with nice aromas of dense blackberry, vanilla, plum, licorice and a little cinnamon. The wine tastes of sweet blackberry jam, caramel and vanilla and features a good silky texture plus a thick and rich mouthfeel. It ends with a nice burst of spice on the delicious and long finish which has lingering chocolate and blackberry notes. This one tastes similar to Port, but perhaps a little softer. Really just a delicious dessert wine that is simply decadent with a good dark chocolate dessert.
See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.
Overall Rating: 7.8
