Founded in 2005 by Philippe Gayral, Muse is a distinctive Roussillon house devoted to preserving old Vins Doux Naturels. For over twenty years, its founder has been scouring family cellars, estates and co-operatives in search of long-forgotten Rivesaltes, Banyuls and Maury. An approach guided by a spirit of curiosity and a determination to safeguard a winegrowing heritage at risk of being lost forever.
Every batch undergoes careful tasting, followed by independent laboratory analysis. The origin, traceability and history of the wines are carefully verified before bottling and release to importers, wine merchants and specialist distributors. These bottlings are sourced in particular from demi-muids, foudres or glass demijohns, vessels that foster the oxidative maturation of Vins Doux Naturels.
Today, co-managed with his daughter, Muse draws on the expertise of Philippe Gayral. The L’Archiviste brand encapsulates this mission: to catalogue, tell the story of and pass on back-vintages, sometimes drawn from an estate’s last remaining stocks. The range delights with time‑mellowed wines, offering notes of walnut, candied fruit, coffee and rancio. Muse doesn’t make the wines: it keeps them from being forgotten.

As a naturally sweet wine, Rivesaltes is a fortified wine, i.e. 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 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 (a rate equal to or greater than 45 g/l). These wines are usually aged in an oxidative environment (in contact with air) in wood, in vats, or in glass demijohns outside. Aging is usually a long process, sometimes up to several decades. Once bottled, the wines then evolve in a reducing medium and develop more complex aromas of dried fruit, vanilla, coffee, honey and burnt sugar. When tasting, Rivesaltes is characterised by its sweetness balanced by wonderful freshness and it stands out especially for its very specific aromas of tobacco, leather, roasted coffee and cocoa, as well as notes of dried fruit (dates, raisins, prunes, dried apricots ...) and above all, aromas of walnuts and almonds. The slight bitterness (aroma of nuts, butter, associated with spices) gives us the term "rancio". These are therefore truly original and particular wines, absolutely fascinating.