Lot presentation

Banyuls Domaine Laetitia 1950

The wine

In 1950 Joseph, the owner’s grandfather, vinified this sublime Banyuls, and kept a small amount, (about 30 hectolitres in foudre nowadays) both due to its remarkable quality and for the birth of one of his children. He was both the village’s doctor and winemaker, the proof that medicine and viticulture were a better combination at that time than today! This traditional wine of the great Banyuls was aged for one season in glass demijohns on a terrace of the cellar overlooking ruelle Colliourencq. Then it aged alone in a succession of old oak foudres until recently being put into bottles, directly at the domain by Laetitia. This captivating Banyuls offers a very sweet nose of marzipan and sweet spices. With great finesse, it also unveils cinnamon and subtle rancio aromas. On the palate it is undeniably balanced. It is sweet, creamy but also tender and floral. It is generally agreed that this wine is not excessive and that it is harmonious and serene.

About the Producer Laetitia

This historic domain is now the last to survive within the actual boundary of the famous village of Collioure. The cellar, built in the mid-19th century, can be found in a small, steep Collioure lane, and here, every year, even before the end of the tourist season, the harvested grapes are brought down from the mountain over Collioure. For the Domaine Laetitia's twenty or so hectares of schist terraces nestle on the last foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, at an altitude of several hundred metres, with a commanding view over the Mediterranean. Agouilles (small canals) criss-cross the entire domain and drain away the floodwater from the rare but violent storms from the Cru towards the Dui stream which passes through the middle of the vineyard. The domain has always been exclusively planted with Grenache Noir, the favoured grape of Banyuls/Collioure wines, with vines regularly renewed so that the average vine age is around 50 years. Today, Laetitia Pietri – representing the fifth generation of Collioure growers – heads up the domain that bears her name.