Noilly Prat Original Dry

Pale-straw with golden hues. The bouquet shows Sauterne notes with honeysuckle floral notes, stony mineral aromas and a touch of Bergamot. The palate is dry, Manzanilla sherry-like palate is slightly salty with grape flesh, orange bitters and cardamom, cinnamon and clove spice. Spicy elements linger and build over a flavour akin to oxidised fruity apple juice on the finish.

One of the claim to fames of Marseillan, a nice little coastal town in Languedoc, is that for the last 200 years it has been the home of Noilly Prat, the French vermouth drink. Joseph Noilly, a herbalist, developed the first formula in 1813. Apparently, the process for making Noilly Prat has changed very little over the last 200 years. The process starts off by combining two types of white wines and leaving them to mature in oak barrels for eight months. The barrels are then opened and left exposed to the sea breeze. This process alters the characteristics of the wine and it becomes darker in colour and fuller flavoured. Joseph Noilly then came up with a secret blend of 20 or so herbs that are added to the wine. The actual business of Noilly Prat was established in Marseillan in 1855, by Noilly's son Louis Noilly and his son-in-law Claudius Prat.