A Catalan tradition, Rancio wines such as this predate the modern conception of wine and viticulture. This wine’s rustic character begins with a full fermentation and evolves first in glass demijohns and then in used oak barrels, which are partially filled and often out in the sun. Owing to the process, the climate, and character of the grapes, the wine is oxidative and rich with earth, smoke and mushroom notes. This wine has aged over 5 years in barrels that formerly housed the eponymous wine of its village, lending a unique depth. Enjoy with cured meats and cheeses, or with rich creamy desserts. Serve either lightly chilled or at cellar temperature.

keeps indefinitely
(50-65ºF)

keeps indefinitely
(55-64ºF)

2-3 oz. pour
(59-64ºF)

About Arnaud de Villeneuve

Base map data ©2017 Google, Inst. Geogr. Nacional

Based in the town of Rivesaltes, the Arnaud de Villeneuve cooperative was established in 2007, when the Caves de Salses (est. 1909) and Cellars de Rivesaltes (1932) merged together. Its membership includes over 300 vignerons farming more than 2000 hectares, incorporating a diverse array of climates and soils in the Côtes Catalanes IGP. Arnaud de Villeneuve is most celebrated for its oxidative wines, especially for the Rivesaltes ambré and Rancio secs made under the auspices of Roussillon legend Fernand Baixas (now in "retirement" at Domaine de Rombeau). Current winemakers Jean-Pierre Papy and Anne Tixier continue the distinctive regimen established under Baixas. Full details

About Côtes Catalanes IGP

One of the most dynamic IGPs in the greater Languedoc-Roussillon wine region, the Côtes Catalanes IGP encompasses nearly all of the Pyrénées-Orientales administrative départment and most of its appellations: Côtes du Roussillon and Côtes du Roussillon-Villages; Grand Roussillon; Maury and Maury sec; Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes. (The diminutive Banyuls and Collioure AOPs are covered by Côte Vermeille IGP.) The climate is Mediterranean, but the terroir itself is quite varied: dark schist, granite, gneiss and clay-limestone soils along its northern slopes; dry, garrigue-scented clay, sand and gravel on the plains around Perpignan. Temperatures, some of France’s most extreme, are moderated by maritime influence and the proximity of the snow-capped Pyrénées. The best hillside slopes cool considerably at night, retaining acidity and freshness in the grapes.

Under the Côtes Catalanes IGP, independent vignerons and cooperatives produce mono-varietal expressions (e.g., Domaine Jorel Carignan ‘Male Care’) not currently endorsed under existing AOPs, as well as wines from international varieties (Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon) that have increasingly found favor amongst some growers and cooperatives. Ironically, the region’s most traditional wine, Rancio Sec - unfortified and fully-oxidized - is also its rarest and falls under the auspices of the Côtes Catalanes (and Côte Vermeille) IGP.