On the steep schist terraces where the Pyrenees plunge into the Mediterranean, Banyuls is France's answer to Port — a vin doux naturel, fortified mid-ferment to keep its sweetness, made from old-vine Grenache. The wines range from deep, fresh and fruity to a nutty, oxidative rancio aged for years in glass demijohns under the sun.
Rich in black cherry, fig, cocoa and coffee, Banyuls is one of the world's great dessert wines, and famously the classic match for chocolate. It is the historic glory of the Roussillon, born of some of the most punishing vineyard terraces in France.