Has anyone tried Banyuls?

[Conky]

I came across an article (Here) which suggested there is a Cousin of Port, which has been made since the 13th Century. It goes marvelously with chocolate, is fortified, strong, full bodied and tastes of Plums & Cherries.

It sounds superficially like Port, but has anyone actually tried it and can give an opinion?

Alan

[Todd P]

I've not seen, nor heard, of it before today. I will keep my eye open for it though. Let me know if you are successful in tracking some down out your way Alan, I would love to hear what you think of it.

Todd

[Frederick Blais]

Guys, don't make much effort traking banyuls or Maury. IMHO they are not very good fortified wines. I've tasted a few of them back to 1949 and none impressed me as they are all lacking freshness. The best one I had was a 1997 that had some freshness due to a poor weather.

I'll quote a Port producer that sums it all for me :" The French always find a different way to make things and they always have a smart attitude of being successful doing it differently. I'm always happy to tease them by inserting one of my ruby in their blind tasting. When we see that my ruby finishes first (as expected) I'm happy more happy to tell them that it is my least expensive port"

About the different way to make fortified wine he refers that the French add the alcool in the juice in the vats and not when they transfer the juice out of the lagares into the other containers. This alcool being very strong, it releases components that are not always wanted in the final blend, from a Portuguese point of view at least.

Anyway, you might want to try it for curiosity. I'm sure you'll come back to Port quite fast

[Alex Bridgeman]

I agree with Fred here, now that he has raised the subject of Maury. I recently had the opportunity to try a Maury from 1945, bottled in 1995. We tasted it against a Morgan 1945, a Warre 1970, a corked Dow 1985 and a Kopke 1996 Colheita.

It was very pleasant. Ranked out of the 5 wines it was dead in the middle. Better than the corked Dow 1985 and the Kopke 1996 Colheita, but nowhere near the same class as the Morgan 1945 or the Warre 1970.

The Maury 1945 cost £60 from Costco. Would I go and buy another one or would I prefer to spend my £60 to get a 1970 Warre? Well, Fred was right on the money with his view - it would be the vintage port every time!

Alex

PS - Here's the tasting note.

A deep brown colour, similar to a 10 year old tawny, slightly orange on the rim. The nose brings caramelised oranges, a slight touch of VA and a stewed fruit texture similar to the nose that I have experienced on vintage ports that have suffered Douro bake. Fairly neutral entry, a touch of brown sugar and lots of orange, tangerine and grapefruit flavours. The mid palate brings more tangerine and lemon and some herbal undertones - think basil and oregano. The aftertaste is dominated by alcohol at first but this fades away in a strange way leaving a hollow mid tongue but flavours of tangerine and brown sugar between the cheeks and teeth and at the back of the tongue. My personal rating for this wine at this point is 88/100.

[Conky]

Thanks Guys,

I'll leave it until I stumble across a glass, rather than actively search for it.

Alan

[RonnieRoots]

Well, I'll have to disagree with Fred and Alex here. Leaving Maury aside (with which I don't have much experience), I can honestly say that a good Banyuls is a very fine wine. I don't compare it to port. It's a different wine, made in a different way, with its own, unique flavour profile.

A very good producer of Banyuls is La Tour Vieille. If you ever come across their 'Vin de Meditation' (a solera tawny with a base wine from 1952): buy it.

[Conky]

Just when I thought I'd come to a decision!

[RonnieRoots]

Glad to help!