New appellations are created now and then in France. In 2011, a new wine with its own appellation appeared, Maury Sec. Maury is a small village down in Roussillon, in southern France. The village has long been known for its sweet Vin Doux Naturel wines. But now producers also can make a dry red wine from the same terroir. The word Sec (dry) must appear on the label.
It is a beautiful region, Maury, between Corbières and the Pyrenees mountains. It is desolate and often spectacular. The schist soil is poor and hard to work. The stunning ruin of the Cathar Quéribus castle is nearby.
The most famous producer in Maury is Mas Amiel. They make same very delicious Maury VDN. But the other day we had the opportunity to try their Maury Sec Cuvée N Vers Le Nord 2012. The wine comes from a specific parcel of two hectares called La Devèze. The wine is one in a series of four wines known as Terres Rares. With these wines Mas Amiel wants to show the variation found in the soil and terroir of their estate.
In “N Vers Le Nord” grenache dominates and is supplemented with 8% of syrah. The colour is extremely strong and you hardly believe it is a Grenache wine. The nose is intense and filled with ripe dark berries, black olives and black currants. The taste is balanced, well-structured and the finish is very fresh. This wine proves that it was a good idea to allow producers to make dry Maury wines. Indicative price 19.50 euros. Read more masamiel.fr
