Notify me
2016 Banyuls “Rimage”
Domaine La Tour Vieille
The oxidative, fortified winemaking tradition of the northwestern Mediterranean is quickly becoming a lost art. The Roussillon, a large part of which is French Catalonia, was historically a very important production area for this style of wine. These wines were for seafaring men, as the wine doesn’t spoil under even the most extreme conditions. The tradition is alive and well at La Tour Vieille, in the ancient port town of Collioure near the Spanish border. Vincent Cantié produces this Banyuls, named after another nearby port, from ripe Grenache whose fermentation is arrested by distilled spirits; the resulting wine is sweet and fruity with about 16 percent alcohol. It is best consumed as a digestif, with chocolate desserts, or in the midst of a mighty gale many miles offshore.
—Dixon Brooke
Wine Type: | dessert |
Vintage: | 2016 |
Bottle Size: | 500mL |
Blend: | 90% Grenache, 10% Carignan |
Appellation: | Banyuls |
Country: | France |
Region: | Languedoc-Roussillon |
Producer: | Domaine La Tour Vieille |
Winemaker: | Vincent Cantié, Christine Campadieu |
Vineyard: | 45 + years |
Soil: | Schist |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 15.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2022 Pic Saint Loup Rosé
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Its intense aromatics brazenly translate the Pic’s rugged nature, and an almost chewable minerality brings to mind slabs of shattered limestone incarnated as energy, drive, and uncommon length on the palate.

Cap de Creus “Ranci Sec”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Evaporation over time has concentrated the wine, giving it considerable strength to go with its trademark rancio aromas of walnuts and brine.

Vin de Pays Memoire “d’Automnes”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
With its aromas of toasted almonds and butterscotch, the resulting bone-dry wine is nothing short of enthralling.

2022 Collioure Rouge “Puig Ambeille”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
A stony, spicy cuvée full of Mediterranean sunshine, aromatic garrigue, and a hint of salinity that offers a perfect match for grilled rosemary lamb chops.

2021 Banyuls “Rimage”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Imagine a red, Grenache-based Sauternes, full of earth and spice, and you’ll have a decent idea how delicious this Banyuls tastes.

2023 Saint-Chinian Rouge “Cebenna”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Generous and floral, with fragrant hints of lavender, purple fruit, and brambly garrigue.

2021 Collioure Rouge “Puig Oriol”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
A brooding, wild beast with hints of black fruit and Mediterranean herbs, this is a portal to Catalonia’s stunning seaside vineyards.

2022 Languedoc Blanc “Aupilhac”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
A blend of Grenache Blanc, Ugni Blanc, Clairette, and Vermentino planted in the lieu-dit of Aupilhac, the little corner of the Larzac behind Sylvain’s winery.

2023 Corbières Rosé “Gris de Gris”
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
A cold glass hits the spot every single time, bursting over the taste buds with bright citrus, wild strawberry, and a juicy finish.

Banyuls Vinegar
France | Languedoc-Roussillon
This vinegar is particular because it’s made with sweet wine, which confers a very unique taste.
About The Producer
Domaine La Tour Vieille
About The Region
Languedoc-Roussillon
Ask wine drinkers around the world, and the word “Languedoc” is sure to elicit mixed reactions. On the one hand, the region is still strongly tied to its past as a producer of cheap, insipid bulk wine in the eyes of many consumers. On the other hand, it is the source of countless great values providing affordable everyday pleasure, with an increasing number of higher-end wines capable of rivaling the best from other parts of France.
While there’s no denying the Languedoc’s checkered history, the last two decades have seen a noticeable shift to fine wine, with an emphasis on terroir. Ambitious growers have sought out vineyard sites with poor, well draining soils in hilly zones, curbed back on irrigation and the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and looked to balance traditional production methods with technological advancements to craft wines with elegance, balance, and a clear sense of place. Today, the overall quality and variety of wines being made in the Languedoc is as high as ever.
Shaped like a crescent hugging the Mediterranean coast, the region boasts an enormous variety of soil types and microclimates depending on elevation, exposition, and relative distance from the coastline and the cooler foothills farther inland. While the warm Mediterranean climate is conducive to the production of reds, there are world-class whites and rosés to be found as well, along with stunning dessert wines revered by connoisseurs for centuries.
More from Languedoc-Roussillon or France
2022 Vin de France Blanc “Assyrtiko”
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Corbières Rosé “Gris de Gris” MAGNUM
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2016 Vin de France Vieux Ronsard
Domaine Ludovic Engelvin France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Saint-Chinian Rouge “Clos de la Simonette”
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Pic Saint Loup “Guilhem Gaucelm”
Héritage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2023 Saint-Chinian Rouge “Cebenna”
Les Eminades France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint Loup Rosé
Héritage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Vin de Pays Memoire “d’Automnes”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2023 Saint-Chinian Rouge “La Pierre Plantée”
Les Eminades France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc “Aupilhac”
Domaine d'Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Monts de la Grage Blanc
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Rouge “Lou Maset”
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Vin de France Blanc “Assyrtiko”
Château La Roque France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Corbières Rosé “Gris de Gris” MAGNUM
Domaine de Fontsainte France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2016 Vin de France Vieux Ronsard
Domaine Ludovic Engelvin France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2020 Saint-Chinian Rouge “Clos de la Simonette”
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Pic Saint Loup “Guilhem Gaucelm”
Héritage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2023 Saint-Chinian Rouge “Cebenna”
Les Eminades France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Pic Saint Loup Rosé
Héritage du Pic Saint Loup France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Vin de Pays Memoire “d’Automnes”
Domaine La Tour Vieille France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2023 Saint-Chinian Rouge “La Pierre Plantée”
Les Eminades France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Blanc “Aupilhac”
Domaine d'Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2021 Monts de la Grage Blanc
Mas Champart France | Languedoc-Roussillon
2022 Languedoc Rouge “Lou Maset”
Domaine d’Aupilhac France | Languedoc-Roussillon
Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.
Inspiring Thirst, page 236