Rivesaltes Rancio 2000 Danjou-Banessy | Roussillon

The Rivesaltes Rancio from Danjou-Banessy is one of the Roussillon’s best-kept secrets, born of the family winemaking tradition that brothers Benoît and Sébastien wisely preserved when they took over the wine estate in the early 2000s. A blend of Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris, Grenache Blanc, and Macabeu, this naturally sweet wine is aged for at least ten years in century-old vats and barrels, thanks to a patient oxidative ageing process that gives it truly astonishing concentration and complexity. The wine estate, whose archives date back several generations of the Banessy family, is one of the few in Roussillon to produce vintage rancio wines of such historical depth.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin: The Rivesaltes Rancio from Danjou-Banessy stands out as a great oxidative wine, far too underappreciated given its complexity and unlimited ageing potential. These vintage bottles are true living archives of the Catalan terroir, just like the greatest sherries.

The nose opens with a refined and evolving profile, where notes of currants and candied figs mingle with sweet spices and hints of caramel and blond tobacco. Hints of roasted coffee and licorice round out this remarkably complex bouquet, in which the patina of time expresses itself with unexpected elegance.

On the palate, the texture is full-bodied and velvety, supported by a fine yet distinct tannic structure, a legacy of long ageing in century-old barrels. Flavors of cocoa, nuts, and candied fruit linger on the palate with remarkable persistence, before a briny, invigorating acidity cuts through the finish with panache, giving this wine a surprising drinkability for a wine of this age and concentration.