FRANCE Paul Herpe & Fils - Capbéart Banyuls Vin Doux Naturel 0,75L

Designation of origin: Banyuls AOC

Color: red

Type: natural fortified sweet wine

Grapes: Grenache Noir (mainly), with possible additions of Grenache Gris, Carignan, Mourvèdre

Alcohol content: 16%

Bottling location: Banyuls-sur-Mer (FRANCE)

 

Description:

Amber-red in color with mahogany highlights, it offers a complex bouquet of ripe red fruit, plum in alcohol, and black cherry, with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, caramel, and a distinctive touch of walnut and toasted almond. On the palate, it is sweet and enveloping, with a perfect balance of sweetness, freshness, and soft, well-integrated tannins. The finish is long and persistent, with a return of oxidative and spicy notes. Perfect with dark chocolate desserts, especially chocolate truffles and Sachertorte. French tradition also suggests it with bold blue cheeses like Roquefort. In Roussillon, it is also popular as an accompaniment to local fig specialties and "rousquille," a typical anise-based dessert. A surprising pairing is with game dishes in bittersweet sauces.

Banyuls is one of France's most celebrated natural sweet wines (VDN), produced in the southernmost part of Roussillon, bordering Spain. Paul Herpe & Fils, active in the region for several generations, produces this Banyuls using the traditional method: the grapes are harvested when fully ripe, and wine brandy is added during fermentation to halt the process while retaining some of the grape's natural sugars. Capbéart benefits from lengthy aging in an oxidative environment in oak barrels of various sizes, which imparts aromatic complexity and the characteristic slightly oxidized profile.