Produced only in exceptional vintages, the Domaine du Dernier Bastion Maury Rancio is pure Grenache noir, selected from the estate’s oldest vines. Fermented in a 200-year-old concrete tank, the wine was aged in a 1,000-liter tonneau for eight years, then placed on the rooftop under glass and exposed to the elements for a final year prior to bottling. The resulting wine exhibits warming complexity and reverberative depth, its mellow rancio character embroidered on flavors of spiced cherry, caramelized orange, fruit cake, fig, walnut, coffee and cocoa. Full details

From a tiny, roasted parcel within what is perhaps the most prized of all of Domaine du Mas Blanc's vineyards, Coume del Mas, the Banyuls Rimage ‘Diadème de la Coume’ 2008 has been produced in just two vintages and is notable for its diffident, smoky character, thought to be the result of ash from an adjacent fire. Its east-facing, 1.5-hectare vineyard sits at 350 meters altitude, overlooking the sea. Soils are the classic poor brown schist and decayed shale, and yields are just 15 hl/ha. The ‘Diadème de la Coume’ is 90% Grenache noir, 5% Mourvèdre and 5% Syrah. Full details

Recalling his grandfather’s fondness for the old wines aged in chestnut barrels, third-generation winemaker Jean-Michel Parcé commissioned two 500-liter barrels from a stand of chestnut trees on his cousin’s property in Roussillon. Once common in cellars throughout Europe, chestnut is now rarely found. More porous than oak, it requires greater attention on the part of the winemaker, but managed well it can impart structure married to a fat, exuberant, oxidative expression, full of generosity and rustic charm. Full details

The most evolved of the Rombeau Rancio secs, the 2008 exhibits a pleasing "rancio funk" while nevertheless retaining its complexity and rough good manners. It was vinified in tank with native yeasts, then transferred to an assortment of old barrels and glass demijohns for 12-18 months' aging outdoors. A portion was then returned to the cellars, which rest above ground and lack temperature control, while another portion remained in the "barrel park" until the time of blending and bottling in mid-2016. Full details

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