Mas Amiel

The history of Mas Amiel in Maury, a long-standing name in the wine world, begins when a bishop lost one of his estates to an engineer named Amiel while playing cards. That was in 1816. The estate survived several disasters and flourished. In 1907, it began producing sweet, fortified wines, for which the estate is world-famous. In 1999, Olivier Decelle saw the magnificent Mas Amiel, fell in love and bought it.

Decelle, an ambitious go-getter, wanted to make a super-quality dry wine in addition to that sweet wine. The schist soil of the vineyards in Maury – a beautiful but rugged area in the Roussillon, with lots of sun and wind – is comparable to that of top areas such as Côte-Rôtie (Rhône) and Priorat (Catalonia). Plenty of potential. After a period of experimentation, Decelle succeeded in producing unique dry wines with the Mas Amiel stamp. They are made from small, low-yield plots, all harvested and fermented separately, and are in a class of their own within Maury.

For the sweet wine, alcohol is added to the wine shortly after fermentation has started, so that the fermentation stops and the wine remains sweet and fruity. Then follows a process that is unique to Mas Amiel: the wine is transferred to large glass belly bottles, cheerfully called bonbonnes, which are placed outside in the sun. There the wine matures for a year. During this time, the wine oxidizes and becomes lighter in color. It is then put into large barrels, to mature further into an unprecedentedly complex set of aromas and flavors. Decelle introduced yet another method for making sweet wine, in which the wine is protected from heat and air. The wine does not oxidize and remains wonderfully fruity.

The beginning of every Mas Amiel wine lies in careful organic or biodynamic grape cultivation. Winemaker Nicolas Raffy, who puts his heart and soul into his wines, creates blends of different grape varieties, but also of specific plots. The best aging method is chosen for each type of wine. As a result, every glass of Mas Amiel is something special; sweet or dry, all wines are lively, complex and perfectly balanced.