Domaine de Rapatel is a fever dream. Gérard Eyraud farms a vineyard first planted by his grandfather in 1904 in the rural-est part of Rural Languedoc. His winery is an 800-year old barn built by long-forgotten monks. He farms his vines without chemical additions and after one vintage using sulfur, he stopped using it entirely because he didn’t like the smell. The winery is a maze of fiberglass tanks containing wine from any one of a dozen vintages he ages concurrently, an eclectic array of grapes and wines he ages and releases “when they’re ready”. Some of them wait a decade or two. Gérard is far better at making these potions than at marketing himself, so even in France only the most plugged in wine bars recognize him for what he is, a genius and one of the most talented makers of natural wine on earth. This humble VDP is a perfect introduction to Rapatel, a blend of Grenache and Syrah with powerfully set aromas of stewed plum, blackcurrant, figgy pudding with cinnamon and clove, orange cordial and organic earth. Luxuriously textured and brimming with more cooked black fruits, with a touch of citrus and iron earth on the finish. This is a wine for overstuffed leather chairs, roaring fires, board games, and roast beef.