Vintage 85

TASTING NOTES:

Boasting great concentration, this vintage has a deep and dense colour. It exhales expressive aromas of cocoa, prunes and walnut, the latter of which is characteristics of very old fortified wines. The palate is suave and refined with lively acidity. Figs and walnuts lead into a perfectly balanced finish of alcohol, sugar, and acidity, with lingering notes of mocha.

FOOD PAIRINGS:

1985 reveals astonishing freshness and vitality. Enjoy it with hare 'à la royale' or with blue-veined cheeses. As a digestif, it wraps dark chocolate in a velvet embrace. Open one hour before serving and decant at 15°C.

TERROIR AND VINE MANAGEMENT :

South-facing slopes of decomposed schist and black marl. Soils are regularly tilled. Goblet-trained vines over 40 years old. Average yield: 18 hl/ha. Planting density: 3,500–4,000 vines/ha.

GRAPE VARIETIES :

90 % Grenache noir, 5% Maccabeu, 5% Carignan

HARVEST :

Manual harvest. Double sorting and destemming.

WINEMAKING:

Extra alcohol is added during the fermentation while the wine is still on the skins (mutage sur grains), and then the whole is allowed to macerate for 30 days to extract the aromas and polyphenols from the grapes, ensuring a nice balance of fruit, alcohol and sugar.

MATURATIONAND BOTTLING :

One year in glass demijohns outdoors under the sun, then transferred to old 350-hl oak casks where it remains to this day, continuing its slow, graceful evolution. This exceptionally long maturation—part of the Mas Amiel signature—nurtures a wine of profound aromatic complexity and structural depth.

GUARD TIME:

Unlimited