(bottle size 375 ml): Sweet fortified wine made with the Muscat a petit grains clone of this huge grape’s family. Grapes are hand-picked when just ripe and sent to the cellar in 20 kg boxes. Stalks are removed and grapes are gently crushed producing a must that undergoes pre-fermentation maceration for 6 hours at low temperature. Fermented with indigenous yeast for 4 weeks partially in steel vats and enamelled concrete vats.
The addition of the spirit serves to augment the alcoholic strength of the wine, prevent any further fermentation, and ensure stability of the wine. Vins Doux Naturels (VDN) wines such as Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Muscat de Rivesaltes etc are all fortified early on during the fermentation of the grape juice. The addition of spirit in making VDN wines is known as mutage rather than fortification, but is essentially the same thing.
The Coyeux’s wine is generally bottled two or three years after the harvest, skipping therefore any clarification and fining process which is unnecessary. 110 grams of residual sugar (100 grams is the minimum required by the appellation’s regulations).