Rivesaltes

The Serrat vineyard was planted with both Grenache Gris and Blanc in 1959. This is a traditional oxidative style of Rivesaltes, with old gold colouring and aromas of Oxford marmalade, cloves and dried flowers. The grapes were picked in the middle of October and allowed to macerate on their skins over-night; the warm dry weather in the late summer of 2000 is translated poetically into the glass with gentle sweetness and intimations of balneal summers. Perfect with foie gras, blue cheeses and similar healthy options.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

The flagship Vin Doux Natural is made from old Grenache which was planted in 1945. The vines were brought over from Châteauneuf -du-Pape and picked at low yields of 15 hl/ha. A mere 10 days of maceration has left a wine of great purity and cleanly defined flavours, with Residual Sugar of 85 g/l. The gentle fortification was followed by four weeks of anaerobic post-fermentation maceration.

In youth the wine boasts red and black cherry notes with hints of chocolate. With time notes of dried fruit, prune and mocha will come to the fore. Delicious, with very finely integrated and therefore unobtrusive sweetness.
(Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer)

1956 Rivesaltes Ambre delivers a blast of high-toned dried and distilled pit fruits allied to smoldering smokiness that made my nasal hairs stand to attention. Behind that come flooding creme caramel, date, sultana, and espresso roast, which then inform a palate of persistently high-toned inner-mouth volatility and brightness, but at the same time textural creaminess such as I don't usually find in an ancient Rivesaltes. This should have fascinating applications at table though, of course, it will perform superbly solo as well. And you don't need to worry about this wine falling apart for months after you open it - or for many years in your cellar (provided the cork holds up).

If fame depended solely on quality, Jean-Hubert Verdaguer ought to be famous for his trove of ancient Rivesaltes. His younger Rivesaltes can be outstanding, too (see for example the 1996 about which I wrote in issue 184) - I just don't happen to have tasted any new examples of those in the past three years. Nor - on the basis of recent experience (though I have still not visited him) - ought Verdaguer's dry wines to be overlooked, either.
93/100 David Schildknecht eRobertParker.com #195 Jun 2011