Mas Amiel - Maury Millésime 1999 (vin doux oxydatif)

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

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.

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, a lover of these lands. With the transition to biodynamics, 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. An essential source!

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

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

About the estate:

In the heart of the Maury terroir, at the foot of the hillside, stands a grand estate with rows of half-barrels where 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 portfolio, is a chapter in the history of Roussillon. An estate that celebrates the tradition of great natural sweet wines, while innovating with dry wines, featuring a refined, vibrant, and perfectly balanced style, rooted in a heritage of old vines. Nicolas Raffy, a talented Catalan winemaker, proudly champions wines from calcoschist, black marl, and granite soils. He has identified steep 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.

Jancis Robinson

About the wine:

It tastes like prune juice. It smells of licorice tea, smoky anise, and flaxseeds. Surprisingly smoky and full-bodied. Prunes. Astounding 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.

James Suckling