Mas Amiel - Maury Millésime 1999 (vin doux oxydatif)

It has a silkier texture than the 30-year-old, more elegant and caressing; its aromas are almost salty, with notes of soy, as well as hints of brandy and old-boy jam. A broad palette. An endless feast on the finish.

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 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 barrel cellar for decades. Mas Amiel, the first estate in the Olivier Decelle portfolio, 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 VDNs at the very top. The estate is now undeniably one of 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.

It tastes like prune juice. It smells of licorice tea, smoky anise, and flaxseeds. Surprisingly smoky and full-bodied. Prunes. Staggering concentration—it feels as though the wine has been extracted from the very heart of the earth. There is so much going on here that it’s impossible to do this wine justice in a quick tasting. This wine demands hours of time and attention. It’s an imposing sculpture. To truly grasp it, you have to sit with it, listen to it, and give it the chance to tell its story.