Maury AOC

Coordinates: 42°48′44″N 2°35′41″E / 42.81222°N 2.59472°E / 42.81222; 2.59472
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A Maury wine that has been aged for 10 years.
The Maury AOC within the Pyrénées-Orientales department.

Maury is an

Muscat and other local varieties.[2] Although the grapes are different, they are used and marketed very much like port. It is made in the communes of Maury, Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, Lesquerde, Tautavel and Rasiguères. The AOC was granted in 1936.[3][4][5]

Maury is a "vin doux naturel" style created by adding fortifying spirits, such as

aged in wood for up to 15 years. The resulting wines vary in depth and concentration.[6]

In

apéritif or as an accompaniment to foie gras, duck and strong blue cheeses. For dessert, aged Maury, much like Banyuls, is recognized as a suitable pairing for chocolate.[3][4]

History

In 1299, the Catalan physician Arnaldus de Villa Nova received a patent for perfecting the technique of halting the fermentation of wine by adding grape spirits. This technique is still used today to make the wines of Maury.

Romans.[4]

Much of Maury's history is influenced by its location as part of the Roussillon region which was part of the

French crown. However, to this day the mix of Spanish and French influence can be seen in the winemaking style of Maury, which utilizes Spanish grape varieties such a Garnacha/Grenache as well as French Syrah.[3]

The style of

distilled alcohol in the late 13th century[7] and was given an exclusive patent on the process by King James II of Majorca. In 1872, Roussillo politician François Aragon convinced the French government to legally recognize the style of vin doux naturels as wines which had residual sugar and sweetness retained from having their fermentation stopped with grape spirits. In 1936, the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) established Maury as an officially recognized AOC.[4]

Climate and geography

Château de Quéribus overlooking the Maury AOC.

As part of the

Rhône, the dry northward wind Tramontane serves to cool the grapes but is much more gentle and less frequent than the powerful Mistral that can damage the vines.[3]

In the shadow of the remains of the

vineyard soils of clay and limestone.[3]

Winemaking

A vineyard in the commune of Tautavel that can provide grapes for Maury wine.

As a vin doux naturel (or VdN) Maury wines undergo a unique form of winemaking that shares elements with other notable fortified wines like Port,

residual sugar left in the wine will vary from 50 to 125 g/L (5 to 12.5% RS).[4]

Prior to fermentation, the grapes destined for Maury production (predominantly Grenache) are

aroma.[3]

Usually during this maceration, the fermentation process starts with ambient yeasts in the cellar. Often the wine will have fermented to the point where the grape spirits are added before maceration has ended and the wine is

racked into barrels or other containers.[3]

Maury wines are often fermented and settled in large concrete fermentors such as these. The large opening allows cellar works to punch down the cap during maceration.

Since the fermentation process is halted rather quickly, the flavors of Maury do retain some of the natural primary

oak barrels to glass bonbonnes) kept in a variety of conditions (including out in the sun for deliberate oxidation) for a number of years depending the particular house style of the winemaker.[6]

Rancio

One style of Maury known as rancio is produced when the wine is racked into clear glass demi-johns or bonbonne and left out in the summer sun to oxidize and age. This causes many of the colour compounds and tannins in the wines to fall out, leaving a thick, dark coloured deposit in the bonbonne. This deposit is allowed to stay in the bonbonne to influence the colour and flavour of resulting vintages of wine that are aged in the container. Once the wine has finished aging for the summer it is usually blended with wine that has spent time aging in large foudres oak cask or sold separately as Maury Rancio.[3]

Comparison to Port

A bottle of Maury wine "vintage dated" with 1948. This date may not necessarily be the year that the grapes were harvested but rather the year that the wine was bottled.

While the Portuguese wine Port is similarly made with a mutage halting the fermentation, there are some distinct differences in how vin doux naturels like Maurys are made. For one, the fortifying spirits used in Port are of a lower alcohol strength (traditionally 77%) while those used for vin doux naturels are often 95%. The spirits are then added to the VdNs later in the fermentation process than with Port. More of the fortifying spirits are often used in Port production, representing up to a fifth (20%) of the finished volume of wine compared to the spirits accounting for around 15% of the finished volume of the VdNs. This means that most VdNs contain less water and alcohol than the typical Port wine.[6]

Vintage dating

While vintage Maurys do exist, most wines are a blend of several vintages with some producers even utilizing a solera system of fractional blending similar to Sherry. These wines will often have an estimate age of "bottle date" listed on the wine label instead of a vintage.[6][3]

Since 1975, more producers have experimented with "vintage" Maurys (called Rimage in neighboring Banyuls). These are wines that are bottled early, often without rancio or barrel aging. The wines have a very dark red color with strong cherry and ripe flavors with noticeable tannins.[4]

AOC regulations

All Maury AOC wines made since 2000 must contain at least 75% Grenache.

When Maury was first granted its AOC, the minimum Grenache percentage required was only 50%, but that figure has risen steadily over the years and today Maury wines must be made from at least 75% Grenache noir with pre-2000 vintages

grape varieties beyond Macabeo are also permitted including Grenache blanc, Grenache gris, Tourbat, Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains and Muscat of Alexandria.[2]

Grapes destined for AOC wine production in Maury are limited to a

alcohol level of at least 15%.[8]

Non-fortified

Côtes du Roussillon-Villages AOC or to be sold as a vin de pays under the Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes designation.[6] For the 2011 vintage, a new AOC designation of Maury Sec was introduced to allow for dry table wines produced from the same grape varieties permitted for the vin doux naturel.[9]

Production and industry

In 1998, Maury had 1,715 hectares (4,240 acres) of planted vineyard producing 48,086 hectoliters (over 534,000 cases) of wine.[3] By 2003, these numbers had not changed.[10]

Like most of Roussillon, the wine industry of Maury is dominated by

co-operatives with Les Vignerons du Maury making the bulk of the yearly production. In recent years, smaller estates experimenting with new winemaking and aging techniques have garnered the attentions of wine writers and critics. These include Mas Amiel and Domaine de la Préceptorie.[6]

Wine styles

A bottle of Maury wine from the estate Maury Doré.

According to

colour.[6]

Wine writer Tom Stevenson notes that Maury wines can come in tawny and rosé styles as well as red and are often characterized by toasty, nutty flavours with raisin and tangy berry fruit.[2]

Master of Wine

food and wine pairing, Coates notes that Maury are one of the rare wines that pair well with chocolate desserts.[3]

Coates also states that similar to Banyuls, Maury wines are often ready to drink soon after they're bottled and do not benefit much from any further

aging in the cellar. When opened, the high alcohol content can protect the wine from the effects of oxidation but most of the fruit flavors will leave if the wine is not consumed within a week.[3]

Wine expert

Jura.[4]

References

  1. ^ Jancis Robinson "Unfinished stories: Vins Doux Naturels" Financial Times, March 15th, 2013
  2. ^
    ISBN 9780756686840
  3. ^
    ISBN 0520220935
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-3-8331-4611-4
  5. ISBN 1-84000-332-4
  6. ^
    ISBN 9780198609902
  7. ^ Chris Kissack "Roussillon Wine Guide: Muscat, Maury and more" The Wine Doctor. Accessed: March 23rd, 2013
  8. ISBN 1-55297-720-X
  9. ^ Wines of Roussillon "2012 Press Kit Archived 2013-03-29 at the Wayback Machine" pg 33 May 2012
  10. ISBN 0-316-72654-0

42°48′44″N 2°35′41″E / 42.81222°N 2.59472°E / 42.81222; 2.59472

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