Domaine de Rancy - Els Petits Raims 2013

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

Brigitte Verdaguer and her husband Jean-Hubert, specialists in timeless sweet amber wines, passionately cultivate the 20 hectares of this estate in the commune of Latour-de-France. The plots are ploughed with the help of a horse. Today, their daughter Delphine is taking over the reins, and we're following this change closely. As their estate is the oldest private winery in the village, the amber Rivesaltes are still on the menu, aged in out-of-date foudres. You'll still find some very old bottles, dating back to the 1940s. A priceless treasure for any wine lover.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

The Verdaguer family, "macabeu fanatics", show that they also have talent for red wines, under the guidance of their oenologist daughter Delphine. Here, an admirable half-grenache, half-mourvèdre cuvée. The color is limpid, with violet highlights. The complex nose combines the wildness of mourvèdre with notes of stewed red fruit, garrigue and spices, pepper in particular. Aromas of tapenade, black fruit, garrigue and pencil lead accompany a perfectly balanced palate, full-bodied, round and very fresh, underpinned by firm, high-quality tannins.

About the domain :

Since 1989, Brigitte and Jean-Hubert Verdaguer have been running the family estate (now 17 hectares in organic production) in the heart of the village of Latour-de-France. Since it was founded in 1920, this estate has focused on natural sweet wines aged for long periods in oak barrels, notably Rivesaltes, although at the turn of the century it began producing dry wines with AOC and IGP labels. Another of the winegrowers' hobbyhorses is dry rancio, with PGI status.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

Els Petits Raims 2013 is a red whose straightforward fruit and simple flavors hit the bull's eye.

About the domain :

This historic estate in the Agly valley is today in the hands of Jean-Hubert Verdaguer and his wife Brigitte, supported since 2006 by their eldest daughter Delphine. In 2001, the Verdaguer family added a range of dry wines to the old Rivesaltes, the flagship of the estate's production. Both in the vineyard and in the cellar, the work is meticulous. While the red wines are of a high standard, it is above all the admirable vins doux naturels (including a collection of old vintages dating back to 1919) that ensure the reputation of this address. A benchmark estate that deserves the full attention of wine-lovers, indispensable for the memorial value of its wines, which are among those that assert the singularity of Catalan winegrowing history with the greatest panache.