France — wine

Maury

Roussillon's most distinctive appellation in the schist-covered Agly Valley northwest of Perpignan, producing Maury — a fortified vin doux naturel from Grenache Noir on dramatic black schist slopes — alongside increasingly important dry red wines under the Maury Sec appellation. The Maury VDN comes in two styles: Maury Vintage (aged in bottle, fresh and dark) and Maury Oxydatif (aged oxidatively in barrels, developing rancio complexity). The black schist's mineral intensity gives Maury wines an earthy, iron character unlike Banyuls or Rivesaltes.

Year Rating Notes
2022 Outstanding Maury vintage; Grenache Noir from black schist showed extraordinary dark fruit concentration for VDN and Maury Sec.
2021 Classic vintage; the Agly Valley's schist soils produced wines of excellent mineral depth and dark cherry intensity.
2020 Benchmark year; Mas Amiel 15-Year-Old and Domaine Pouderoux produced the finest Maury VDN of the decade.
2019 Outstanding vintage; Maury Sec (dry red) received extraordinary attention from international natural wine critics.
2018 Solid vintage; black schist Grenache produced wines of good mineral depth; rancio oxidative complexity developed magnificently.