About Terres des Templiers

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Located in the town of Banyuls-sur-Mer along the Côte Vermeille, where the Pyrénées meet the Mediterranean and the Spanish border, the cellars of Terres des Templiers sit on the road a half-mile above the seaside town, testament to the stubborn endurance and well-earned pride of its local denizens. Its name honors the Knights Templar, who are said to have built upon the system of feixas (terraced vineyards) and canals that crisscross—peu de gall, "rooster foot"—across the steep hillsides above the sea, where only grapes can grow.

Today, Terres des Templiers incorporates 750 small vignerons farming 1150 hectares. The schist-dominated vineyards are by necessity worked by hand, and the practice is lutte raisonée. Under cellarmaster Jauffrey Canier, Terres des Templiers produce a range of Collioure and Banyuls, and maintain the ancient tradition of Rancio sec, the great historic wine of the region that predates Banyuls by centuries. Aged oxidatively, the Banyuls traditionnel and Rancio sec are first set outdoors and exposed to the elements in old demi-muids, for up to four years, before returning to the cellars to complete their elevage. Just 400 cases of Rancio sec are bottled per year.

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About Côte Vermeille IGP

Rising from the sea, the vineyards of the Côte Vermeille IGP are coextensive with the Collioure and Banyuls appellations: a patchwork of terraced, schistous slopes looming over the ports—Collioure, Port-Vedres, Banyuls-sur-Mer and Cebère—dotting the final stretch of coastline hard by the Spanish border. The proximity of the sea tempers the warm, dry Mediterranean climate, and many of the wines are marked by a subtle, salty tang. Though grapes like Viognier, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are found and bottled under the IGP, the large majority of the vineyards are given over to the "traditional varieties" destined for Collioure and Banyuls: Grenache blanc, Grenache gris, and Macabeu for white wines; Grenache noir, Mourvèdre and Syrah for the reds. Rancio Sec—unfortified and fully-oxidized—is the region’s most traditional and historic wine, as well as its rarest, and is currently under aegis of the IGP.