Sipping Maury Vin Doux Naturel in strawberry season (#Winophiles)

Grenache, Grenache, Grenache. Or, if you’re in Spain, Garnacha. Lately, everything’s been coming up Grenache.

Not surprising considering the growing popularity of this thin-skinned, late-ripening grape that loves hot, dry environments – southern France, almost all of Spain, southern Australia, Sardinia (where it is known as Cannonau), California, Washington and recently, China, Mexico and Israel. Fully ripe, heat-loving Grenache is capable of producing wines approaching 15% alcohol and a profile singing of red fruit.

Last month, for the World Wine Travel virtual blogging trip to Aragón, Spain, my wine of choice was a red-hot, spicy Campo de Borja Garnacha. This month – to coincide with strawberry season – we opened a Vin Doux Naturel (fortified sweet) wine, 100% Grenache, from Maury, a tiny (540-acre) appellation in the northwest corner of Roussillon, itself a tiny wine region located in the far south of France. Next week? More Grenache! A L’Ecole No. 41 Grenache rosé from Washington state. Stay tuned!

For now, though, let’s turn to southern France and a completely different style of Grenache from the dry version you may know best. You’re invited to join the French Winophiles Saturday 6/19, starting at 8 am PT/11 am ET for a Twitter chat about wines from Maury and other Roussillon appellations. Simply follow the #winophiles hashtag.

Ever hear of Maury?

Yes, Vins Doux Naturel (VDN) from the Roussillon appellations of Maury, Banyuls and Rivesaltes get a deserving mention in wine textbooks. But how many of us have tasted these regional specialties? The Mas Peyre “Rage du Soleil” Maury AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) was my first.

Maury’s VDNs are mostly produced from Grenache Noir, Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris, and made in a similar style to the sweet wines of Banyuls, 35 miles to the southeast. When young, these wines are tannic and fruity, but they become more savory as they age. In 2011, a separate Maury appellation was established for dry red wines. Maury Sec (dry) wines also focus on Grenache, though Mourvèdre, Syrah and Carignane are permitted.

Steep limestone cliffs mark the beginning of the Pyrenees foothills in this part of southern France. Windswept and wild, the landscape is dominated by old-vine vineyards. The ruins of a 1,000-year-old castle tower above the town of Maury. Until 1659, this fortress was used to defend the French border against Spain.

Soils are mainly black schist and marl (sand, silt, or clay containing calcium carbonate). Vineyards are planted up to heights of almost 1,500 feet. Grenache from these higher elevations, where warm nights and cool nights are the norm, tend to show more finesse in the bottle than those from grapes grown elsewhere in southern France.

When based on Grenache noir, Maury can be bottled within the first two years (like a vintage Port), or it can undergo prolonged oxidative aging and be labeled “Hors d’Age” (very old).

Sources: Haus Alpenz, Mas Peyre, Wine Enthusiast, wine-searcher.

The winery and the wine
NV Mas Peyre Hors d’Age “La Rage du Soleil” Maury AOP
100% Grenache Noir

After 20 years in a local cooperative, the Bourrel family departed in 2003 to establish their own domain. Mas Peyre is located in Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, on the western edge of the upper Agly Valley. The Bourrels now farm almost 100 acres of vineyards in Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet and further west in Prugnares that range from about 800 to 1,300 feet in altitude. In 2013, the family completed the conversion to organic farming started by son Baptiste when he joined the business as winemaker in 2009. Their website states:

“Organic cultivation is first and foremost a job of caring for the soil. Three years are necessary to recreate harmonious living conditions in soil, plants and environment. The flavors of the grapes are thereby enhanced and give birth to great wines, faithful reflections of what nature can offer us when it is respected.”

The name “Rage du Soleil” (literally “fury of the sun”) alludes to the heat of the Roussillon region.

During fermentation, VDNs are fortified with the addition of a neutral grape spirit to stop the yeast from fully converting sugar into alcohol (a process called mutage) and to leave some naturally occur sweetness. The non-vintage (NV) wine is aged solera-style for five years (from 2003 until 2008) before it is transferred into oak casks for another six years. A solera is a fractional blending system in which a small amount of wine is drawn from a reserve and replaced with a younger, but similar wine. The younger wine is then allowed to blend and mature with the remainder of the reserve before the process starts over again. Oxidative aging deepens the color and adds caramelized aromas to the wine.

My tasting notes: Brick red in color. Woodsy aromas of dried prune, cherry compote, cola and a hint of cocoa. “Root beer,” the spouse pronounced. Orange rind, dark chocolate, cherry and coffee strike the palate immediately, followed by cloves and cinnamon and ending in a sweet, warm and mouth-coating long finish. Medium acidity to balance the sweetness. Similar to a tawny Port. Two to three ounces are a customary pour for this sweet dessert wine. Best when served slightly chilled. Keeps for four to six months after opening. Alcohol: 16.5%. Price: $26.

The pairing: Strawberry shortcake was the dessert du jour when we opened this Maury Doux. The match was OK. The next day, however, we struck gold. Strawberries dipped in dark chocolate were heavenly with this VDN. Flavors blended together seamlessly into one cohesive, chocolately, dried-fruit-spice-cake, miraculous pairing. Classic example of food and wine complementing one other.

Learn more about Maury and other Roussillon subregions from the #Winophiles listed below. Hope you can join us for the chat!

• Linguini with Tuna and White Beans and a Rose from Maury by Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• A Riff on Clapassade + Château Saint Roch Chimeres 2016 from Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Sipping sweet Maury Vin Doux Naturel in strawberry season from Linda, My Full Wine Glass
• Coming home and finding a new home – the stories of two wines from Maury as told by Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles
• The Maury Region from Cathie at Side Hustle Wino
• Looking at the Sweeter Side of Maury from Susannah from Avvinare
• Maury Savory and Sweet shared by Jeff at Food Wine Click!
• Two Sides of Maury in Roussillon: Sweet and Dry from Lynn at Savor the Harvest
• A Search for Roussillon’s Maury shared by Gwendolyn from Wine Predator