Maury, La Coume du Roy - 1925

We have a 13th-century alchemist to thank for these gorgeous port-like wines from the south of France. Aged in open oak barrels or glass demijohns, the wines are exposed to oxygen and heat, resulting in flavors of dark fruit jam, fruit cake and walnuts. La Coume du Roy was founded in 1850 and is run by 6th generation winemakers, Agnes and Jean-François Bachelet, At 18 years old this wine is just a teenager. Made with late-harvested Grenache grapes and aged for ten years in oak barrels, it will last another century or more. Not that you'll resist for very long. It's drinking beautifully now. It still has its youthful dark red color, with only a tinge of garnet appearing in the rim, and is full of black cherry, plum, cocoa, and cedar. It's ideal with dark chocolate.