Mas Amiel - Maury sec Initial 2019

Bettane & Desseauve

About the estate:

In Maury, Mas Amiel comprises 150 hectares of vineyards in production, spread across 132 plots, overlooked by the Cathar castle of Quéribus. Olivier Decelle (also owner of Château Jean Faure in Saint-Émilion) has acted as a patron, gradually restoring it to peak production condition, assisted in this effort since 2007 by Nicolas Raffy, who is deeply passionate about these lands. With the transition to biodynamic farming, the character of the wines will certainly continue to evolve in the years to come. While natural sweet wines have by no means been neglected, the focus has shifted toward the production of very modern dry wines, with a broad range covering all styles. A must-visit destination!

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

A blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Carignan, and 10% Syrah aged in tanks, the 2019 Maury Sec Initial offers aromas of crushed stone and black fruit on the nose. It is medium-bodied to full-bodied, well-structured, with dusty tannins and a somewhat crisp finish. It may improve over the next year, but should be enjoyed by 2025.

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

About the estate:

In the heart of the Maury region, at the foot of the hillside, stands a large estate with rows of demi-jeannes in which the wines age for a year in the sun before being transferred to the cask cellar for decades. Mas Amiel, the first estate in the Olivier Decelle family of wineries, is a chapter in the history of Roussillon. An estate that celebrates the tradition of great natural sweet wines, while also innovating with dry wines, featuring a refined, full-bodied, and perfectly balanced style, rooted in a heritage of old vines. Nicolas Raffy, a talented Catalan winemaker, proudly champions wines made from calcoschist, black marl, and granite soils. He has identified steeply sloped plots and adapted his blends, aging methods, and harvest dates so that the dry Maury wines can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the top-tier VDNs. The estate is now undeniably among the leading names in the region. In recent years, the progress made with the dry wines has been spectacular. The third star is on the horizon.

James Suckling