Description
Domaine La Sobilane, Rivesaltes
It is with great honor that I can offer today’s legendary 1949 Rivesaltes, a fortified wine that aged for 66 years in the same barrel before it was discovered, bottled in 2018, and allocated in micro-quantities. It is a remarkable wine of perseverance, passion, and antiquity from a bygone era when vin doux naturel was consumed and adored by everyone. And it wouldn’t be in front of you today without Philippe and Sandrine Gayral, a husband-wife treasure-hunting team who’ve spent the last two decades uncovering these sacred, all-but-forgotten wine antiques.
Today’s 70-year-old gem from Domaine La Sobilane has been savored by some of the world’s most prestigious critics, but outside of them, very few have had the opportunity. Today, you have that rare chance to experience a legitimate piece of history that has outlived the winemaker, survived wars, and been preserved to absolute perfection. Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you just how extraordinary profound the wine is: It has a luxurious, chameleonic flavor profile like no other and each sip brings profound depth and a finish that lasts so long it’s as if the wine is taking you on an intimate journey of its seven-decade life. We only have a handful of these wine artifacts to share today, and I assure you they’ll vanish quickly. Enjoy.
When Phillipe and Sandrine Gayral were touring southern France 20 years ago, they stumbled upon a cache of vin doux naturel that had been aging in barrels for generations. That discovery led to a startling revelation: Dozens of families from all over Rivesaltes had been quietly preserving small stocks of wine—not for resale, mind you, but rather as family heirlooms that were siphoned off for special occasions. After tasting the first one, Philippe dedicated a career to scouring the countryside of Rivesaltes, Banyuls, and Maury in search of these “forgotten barrels.” He would meet with the families, who would then point them to their one or two barrels from decades past. Assuming nobody cared about the wine, some estates were ecstatic when he offered to buy the barrels and bottle them for resale. Others, however, took years of convincing. And then there were some estates that would tell them the barrel in question was from another local producer, bought by a friend of a friend long ago, so they would have to follow whatever breadcrumb trail remained. If that’s not a passion project, I don’t know what is!
Southern France’s Vin Doux Naturel (VDN), was first made in the 13th-century when ‘mutage’ was discovered. Put simply, this is a process where a neutral spirit is added to prematurely kill yeast and suspend fermentation, leaving a concentrated, sweet wine with elevated alcohol (essentially the same practice used to make Port). The Languedoc-Roussillon region has been the traditional home of these wines in appellations such as Maury, Banyuls, and today’s AOC of origin, Rivesaltes.
La Sobilane was a tiny property when it was acquired by bred-in-the-bone farmer Pierre Daniel in 1908 and it remained a small operation for quite some time, especially when the Great War reared its ugly head. His son, Maurice, took over in 1919, having been battle-hardened through years of serving his country in the skies as a fighter ace. From here, the property expanded and flourished. So, it would’ve been him and his two sons, Francis and George, who played the part in making today’s extraordinary 1949 Rivesaltes. It is entirely made up of 100% hand-harvested Grenache Noir that was fermented, fortified, and aged in glass demijohns and barriques for two years. Following, the vin doux naturel was transferred into large neutral foudres, where it spent 66 years before being discovered and bottled without any additives by Philippe in 2018.
I’ve said this a few times in the past, but with an extraordinary treasure such as this, it must be restated: La Sobilane’s 1949 Rivesaltes demands to be enjoyed with the people you keep close and in the proper atmosphere. It would be a crime for this to get lost in a cluster of opened wines at a party, so make sure you’re in a cozy environment where everyone’s spirits are high. In the glass, this reveals a tawny core with amber reflections and massive viscosity made apparent by slow-moving swirls and thick tears that inch down the glass in slow motion. Within an instant, an unlimited number of hedonistic, developed aromas waft out: stewed plums, burnt toffee, caramel, orange marmalade, hazelnut, charred black cherries, baking spice, seaweed, brown sugar, cacao, Chambord, ground coffee, tamarind paste, and baking spice. The first sip coats your palate with luxurious, profoundly rich flavors that refuse to disappear, so sit back in awed silence as the finish goes past 30 seconds, then 60. It is intoxicating, lush, sweet, and tangy all at once. Never too cloying, never too light, just a perfectly crafted, energizing fortified wine that has ignored the wearying effects of Father Time. It can be opened now or in the decades to come—either way, it will deliver an unforgettable experience. And, whenever you do choose to open it, there’s no rush to drink it all at once. How do I know? Because as I write, I’m enjoying a glass of this 16 days after it was first opened—it’s still in perfect form. Happy Holidays, and enjoy this rare treat.
