Rivesaltes, Château Sisqueille 1874

This slice of history is blessed with a gorgeous, seductive bouquet of sloe, dark plum, Japanese plum and a hint of iodine that is bewitchingly fresh and beautifully defined. The palate is smooth and sensual on the entry with lush red plum, aniseed, orange zest, white pepper and fennel. It offers sensational delineation and harmony with an elegant, sublime finish that is utterly compelling. Tasted December 2012.

Philippe has bought one Burgundy barrel of 1874 that was bottled in January 2013. This was de facto the first vintage for Chateau Sesqueille, an estate that had been purchased by the titular family the previous year. Philippe explained that this was not a golden age for the region that was then a bucolic backwater. Rather, the demand for VdN really emerged later in the 1890s when northern Europe markets opened.