Jean-Hubert Verdaguer and his wife, Brigitte, helm Domaine de Rancy in the Roussillon, one of only a handful of quality wineries still producing exceptional Rivesaltes in the old Ambré style. This unique type of fortified wine is a Vin Doux Naturel, in which a pure spirit is added during fermentation to stop conversion of sugar into alcohol. These are complex and versatile dessert wines, typically 16% to 20% alcohol, with 85-100 grams of residual sugar, and acidity varying between 6% and 8%. There's not much like this left in the formerly huge appellation of Rivesaltes, so wines like this really are for expanding your knowledge of how profound dessert wine can be.
