Tresmontaine ‘Puits aux Souhaits’ Rancio sec is the last produced under the auspice of the late winemaker, Bernard Sapéras, who kept it mainly for family and friends. Made from Grenache noir vines with an average age of 70 years and a yield of just 20 hl/ha, it was fermented in old casks over the course of several years before coming to rest in barrels first used for the domaine’s Banyuls blanc. The average age of the blend is 10 years.

The most elegant of the Côte Vermeille Rancio secs, ‘Puits aux Souhaits’ (‘Wishing Well’) was bottled especially for Soloton Selections by Bernard’s son Olivier and the Sapéras family. It excels as an aperitif and can be enjoyed with all manner of tapas, including anchovies, roasted nuts, aged Iberico ham and various cheeses. Shelf-stable, it should be served lightly chilled or at cellar temperature.

See related coverage of this product by Wine & Spirits Magazine, February 2020

keeps 0-15 years
(50-65ºF)

keeps 6-8 weeks
(55-64ºF)

2-3 oz. pour
(55-59ºF)

About Domaine Vial-Magneres

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Vial-Magnères is a small family estate founded in the early 20th century by André Magnères. Now in its fourth generation under the leadership of Olivier Sapéras and Laurent Dalzovo, it farms just 10 hectares of small, scattered plots above the coastlines of Banyuls-sur-Mer and Port-Vendres, its steeply terraced vineyards mining the pre-Cambrian schistous soils the region is renowned for. All vineyard work is carried out by hand and is performed lutte raisonée. The average age of the vines is 50 years, primarily Grenache noir, gris and blanc, with small parcels of Syrah and old-vine Carignan. Vinification is simultaneously traditional yet forward-looking: Vial-Magnères is renowned for its benchmark Banyuls Rancio "al Tragou" and for being the first producer to bottle a Banyuls blanc in 1988 under Bernard Sapéras, Olivier’s father. The late M. Sapéras was also devoted to the region’s most historic wine, Rancio sec, keeping it as a special treat for family and friends—a tradition that is maintained to this day. At Vial-Magnères, emphasis is placed on producing transparent wines of place, with notable elegance and complexity.
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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.