Cazes Rivesaltes 1933

98 points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "When one thinks of all the things that were going on in the world in 1933-a particularly crazy time in France in the simmering era of the Third Republic- it is amazing that this great wine was not only made, but has been able to withstand the vicissitudes of time and is with us today! The color on the 1933 is dark amber and one of the darkest in the lineup, but I am not sure if this indicative of having started out life as a Tuilé with black grenache, or simply a function of its long aging in cask. In any event, the wine is flat out brilliant, soaring from the glass in a great mélange of white cherries, orange peel, brown butter, celery seed, salty soil tones, honey and a topnote of new leather. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and remarkably refined, with superb mid-palate concentration, great acidity and focus, seamless balance and endless length on the dancing and magical finish. Another utterly profound old wine, and like all of these other old vintages of Rivesaltes, it seems like it could go on at this brilliant level forever! 2013-2060. (May/Jun 2013)"

97 points CellarTracker.com community score.

96 points David Schildknecht (Wine Advocate): "[$600 list] The white grape-based Cazes 1933 Rivesaltes smells gorgeously of creme brulee infused with iris, violet and orange blossom; then comes to the palate at once creamy, texturally caressing and expansive, yet also gushing with juicy and zesty evocations of grapefruit and blood orange that took me by delighted surprise. Toasted nuts and haunting, smoke-tinged liquid floral essences help balance and compliment the sweetness in a profound, protracted, and impeccably balanced finish. (Jan 2014)"

Domaine Cazes, founded in 1895, is one of the oldest and most famous producers of Rivesaltes wines from the eponymously named Rivesaltes AOC in Roussillon. Rivesaltes, officially a "vin doux naturel," is in fact a fortified dessert wine that can be made from any combination of Grenache Blanc, Noir, and Gris, Macabéo, and to a much lesser extent Torbato (here called Malvoisie du Roussillon), as well as Muscat. Rivesaltes may taste of raisins, coffee, chocolate, fruits, or nuts and the most concentrated can, like Banyuls, be some of the few wines that happily partner with chocolate. John Gilman writes that "Domaine Cazes is one of the greatest producers of sweet wines that I have ever had the pleasure to come across...these are utterly distinct and unique wines of brilliant complexity and character, and though they may not be as well known in the wine world at large as their superb quality deserves, they are truly some of the wine world's greatest treasures."

This selection comes directly from the domaine in June 2021. Fortified on August 25, 1933, moved to age in a foudre on March 27, 1934, bottled on January 6, 2012. 589 bottles produced. 17,5% alcohol. 100% Grenache Blanc. Aged for almost 8 decades in its original vat. This Rivesaltes has a nose of rancio with notes of spices. This is a complex and elegant wine, rich, suave, powerful and long in the mouth, with beautiful notes of honey and orange zest.