Retour des Iles - a wine aged for several months at sea during an Atlantic crossing

Retour des Iles was born of the desire to recreate the sensations British wine merchants must have experienced in the Middle Ages when, seeking out the most exquisite delicacies, they sampled wines that had crossed the seas.

Chateau Le Puy selects four barrels of wine on their estate, for which they have detected a special potential that awaits its perfection. The barrels are loaded into the hold of a brigantine sail boat, to cross the Atlantic solely under the force of the winds.

During this eight-month crossing, the wine is subjected to the swell of the sea, iodine and variations in air pressure and temperature. The wine thus develops unique aromas and flavours, lending it a new and incomparable dimension.