[France] Vin Doux Naturel - Domaine Les Tailhades Muscat de Saint-Jean de Minervois

Last week, I bought a bottle of sweet wine from Southern France, the price is quite affordable. The label wrote Vin Doux Naturel Muscat de Saint-Jean de Minervois. In Southern France the Languedoc wine region, there is a type of sweet wine call Vin Doux Naturel (Natural Sweet Wine). But, it is not naturally sweet as the name implies. It is a fortified wine made by the process of mutage. It is a French word to describe a winemaking method of artificially halt the alcoholic fermentation by adding Brandy or Spirits to keep the residual sugar. This technique is also used for making Port wine. This stops fermentation and will leave a high percent of residual sugar and makes the wine sweet and powerful. Some are bottled early and others are aged in large oak barrels to obtain more flavor and aromas. Major grapes varieties are Muscat and Grenache for red wine.    

Appellation Muscat de Saint-Jean-de-Minervois is located northeast of Minervois, with high altitude and limestone soil. The wine is made with White Muscat, but here Muscat is called “Petits Grains”, means small berries. I only find the basic information on Domaine Les Tailhades. The grapes are harvested by hand, the wine is vinified at a low temperature and then fortified and matured in vat.

My Taste Note: The wine shows Yellow Golden color. It has strong fresh white grapes, fruit (Mango and Fig), flower and spice aromas. The palate is sweet, rich, full body and after taste has little bitter. This bitter may come from the spirits alcohol. Overall, this wine may not be too famous or depth as botrytis sweet wine. But it can provide attractive aromas and fresh fruits flavors.         

葡萄酒上星期我買了一枝來自南法國的甜酒,價錢相當相宜.在酒標上寫上Vin Doux Naturel Muscat de Saint-Jean de Minervois.在南法國的Languedoc葡萄酒

區有一種甜酒叫做Vin Doux Naturel(天然甜酒).但是它不是顧名思義完全天然.它是一款加烈酒經過Mutage這個過程. Mutage是一個法文詞語來描述一個釀酒方法,這是加入白蘭地(Brandy)或烈酒來阻止酒精發酵,保持殘糖. 這個方法都是用來釀造砵酒(Port). 這樣停止發酵會留下許多殘糖和令釀造的酒都帶甜和濃厚. 有一些酒會在比較年輕時裝瓶，另一些會在大木桶內成熟,可以增加香氣和味道.主要的葡萄品種是Muscat和紅酒的Grenache.

Appellation Muscat de Saint-Jean-de-Minervois是位於Minervois的東北邊, 這裡是高海拔，土壤是石灰石.這裡的酒都是用Muscat來釀製,不過他們會叫Muscat做“Petits Grains”, 意思是小的果實. 關於Domaine Les Tailhades,我只找到一些基本資料. 他們採用人手採摘, 酒會在低溫釀造和會方進大桶內加烈和成熟.

我的品酒筆記: 這款酒是金黃色,有強烈的新鮮白葡萄香,水果香(芒果花和無花果),花香和香料的香氣.口感有濃郁的甜,厚身After Taste有少少苦.這種苦可能是來自烈酒的酒精.整體這枝酒可能不是很出名或沒有貴腐甜酒的深度.不過它可提供很吸引的香氣和新鮮的水果味道.