Rivesaltes Riveyrac (Domaine) 1993

The wines of Riveyrac come from the Salses-le-Château co-operative cellar. It is one of the oldest co-operative cellars in the Pyrénées-Orientales department, founded by eight growers on 22nd January 1909, uniting against adverse circumstances during one of the worst viticultural crises in the region's history. Ideally located on the old Roman Via Domitia (which intersects here with the A9 motorway), it also sits in the shadow of the fortifications of the Château de Salses, built by 15th-century Spanish Catholic kings as a frontier-post against the kingdom of France (the Pyrénées-Orientales only became part of France during the reign of Louis XIV). Between the two world wars, the cellar specialised in the great red AOC Rivesaltes vins doux naturels, whose sales grew steadily year on year: they were matured for around ten years in foudre, barrique and demi-muid barrels before being sold to the rich merchants from the neighbouring village of Rivesaltes.