Lot presentation

Rivesaltes Château Villargeil (no reserve) 1958

The wine

Rivesaltes is a naturally sweet wine (VDN) which has had Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) since 1936, produced near the town of the same name (Pyrénées Orientales). As a naturally sweet wine, Rivesaltes is a fortified wine, namely wine to which 5 to 10% of wine spirit has been added (neutral alcohol, at 96°) to the must of grapes during fermentation, in order to arrest fermentation and thus retain residual (natural) sugars that are not converted into alcohol. As well as arresting the action of the yeast, adding strong alcohol naturally generates a higher degree of alcohol than for traditional wines - even if fermentation has not been completed, around 15 -21 °, as well as residual sugars (rate equal to or greater than 45 g / l). For these wines, aging is generally carried out in an oxidative environment (in contact with the air) in wood, vats, or in glass demijohns outside; it is often a very long process, sometimes up to several decades.

About the Producer Villargeil

Château Villargeil, located in Saint-Jean-Pla-de-Corts, is run by Laurent and Véronique Viguier, and covers 150 hectares. It has belonged to the same family since the 17th century, and has made Rivesaltes its speciality; to this day it still holds a number of very old specimens (over a hundred years).