1998 Thunevin-Calvet Maury Vin Doux Naturel

Maury’s Vin Doux Naturel are meditative wines to savor next to a fire with a good book and reflected love. These wines have an amazing ability to age and are some of the longest-lived wines anywhere. Tasting a Maury wine is a mystical experience. These wines are, like wine Enthusiast said, "complex, deeply flavored, and warm the body when it’s cool outside."

Seduced by the quality of terroirs in the Côtes du Roussillon, Jean-Luc Thunevin teamed up with local vigneron and a true man of the soil, Jean-Roger Calvet, and bought a few hectares of vines located on magnificent black schist terroir. The Côtes du Roussillon AOC is a sub-appellation at the foothills of the Pyrenées mountains, close to the border with Spain that has built a long-lived reputation for producing exceptional Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah and natural sweet wines. Jean-Luc says, “Why to invest in the other side of the world when there are wonderful old vines, inexpensive land, and awesome countryside on the doorstep?"

Jean Luc Thunevin became a well-known figure in the wine world in less than a decade, thanks to its successful garage wine, Chateau Valandraud, which today is considered one of the finest properties in Saint Emilion. The same attention to detail that goes into his top wine is implemented in all of Thunevin’s chateaux. All of Jean-Luc's wines are produced with a constant commitment to excellence.

Maury is home to Roussillion’s famous vins doux naturels. Thunevin’s intense and deep Maurys are said to be among the best in the region. To produce this sweet wine, fermentation is stopped in the middle of the ‘solid’ phase in mid-fermentation by adding neutral alcohol to capture the natural grape sugars. Alcoholic maceration continues for another three weeks. Then, the wine is left to age in barrels for many years. If you'd like to know more about fortified wines and Vin doux Naturel, visit our blog.

Tasting Notes: 60-year-old vines. 100% Grenache Noir. This is a truly impressive dessert wine. It shows deep aromas of nuts, sweet chocolate, cherry, black raspberry, and coffee. The palate is elegant and silky.

This is the perfect dessert to drink by itself, but it also pairs fantastically with blue cheeses like gorgonzola, nuts, and figs.