Gascogne, Jurançon and Madiran
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1 Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne 2009
Domaine de San de GuilhemGrape:40% Gros Manseng, 30% Ugni Blanc, 15% Colombard, 15% Sauvignon (11.5% alc.)
France’s best value white vin de pays, with vibrant refreshing fruit and the added bonus of low alcohol.
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2 Jurançon Sec AC 2008
Domaine de LahargueGrape:80% Gros Manseng, 20% Camaralet (13.5% alc.)
Aromas of citrus fruits draw you in, there is a burst of fruit – ripe grapefruit and passion fruit, a nice balance of acidity and minerality from the gritty marl, then a long finish. For drinking now to 2011.
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3 Jurançon Sec AC 2005 Reserve
Domaine NigriGrape:80% Gros Manseng, 20% Petit Manseng (14% alc.)
This wine comes from 20 year old vines planted in a bank of limestone and siliceous clay (where wild chives were flourishing in mid-February). It has been aged and fermented in 400 litre barrels, and is naturally a touch richer than the Lahargue sec but with the classic relief of tangy acidity so typical of Jurançon. For drinking now to 2011.
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4 Jurançon AC 2007 Clos Thou
Henri Lapouble-LaplaceGrape:100% Petit Manseng (13% alc.)
This is Clos Thou’s top wine and only 1500 bottles of this exceptional sweet wine are made every year. Produced from minute yields of late-picked grapes that are left to shrivel on the vine (passerillage) until early December, when the snows are falling in the nearby Pyrénées. It is an intense sweet white with a cut of acidity so often lacking in other wines. For drinking now to 2015+. Sweet.
* Half bottles are available
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5 Madiran AC 2006
Domaine Labranche-LaffontGrape:60% Tannat, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc (13.5% alc.)
Two thirds of Christine Dupuy’s 45 year old vineyards produce this cuve-aged wine whose dense ripe black fruit puts me in mind of good northern spanish reds. Low yields, optimum maturity for grape picking and a gentle touch when it comes to extraction help to give the wine freshness and balance. For drinking now to 2011.
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6 Madiran AC 2006 Vieilles Vignes
Domaine Labranche-LaffontGrape:100% Tannat (14% alc.)
Old vines means an average age of 50 years (with one small parcel of ‘pre-phylloxera’ vines over 130 years old). The vines are pruned hard to ensure a low yield. Light pigeage is applied during the fermentation in cement cuve before one year in oak barrels (25% new). The wine has a deep blackcurrant colour, offers ripe cassis and liquorice on the nose, intense fruit with a hint of spice on the palate, and a long sustained finish. For drinking now to 2016+.
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