Charles and Marie Hours have spent twenty plus years building up their Clos Uroulat estate from three and a half hectares to its current 14 ha. The vineyards are planted with the indigenous varieties that make Jurançon so unique - Petit Manseng (60%), Gros Manseng (35%) and a little Petit Courbu with the vines being trained high. Yields can be as small as 30 hectolitres per hectare. A new press house and cellar were built in the early 90's when temperature controlled vats and a pneumatic press were bought allowing the grapes to be pressed very gently. About a fifth of the barrels are replaced each year (and when you think that they cost about £500 a piece, this is no mean investment) and the Hours now buy in some fruit from local growers to add to their own.
Domaine de Gineste, TÉCOU Run by two young couples, Emmanuel and Sigolène Maugeais (Emmanuel having trained as a wine-maker in Beaujolais) and Armelle and Frédéric Delmotte, this 24-hectare domaine is about 3km. to the south-east of the town of Gaillac and is separated in to two parts with 70% situated on gravelly soils and the rest on a much more sandy top-soil. The Maugeais and Delmottes have invested heavily in the winery and spent a great deal of time renovating the vineyards and the results have been spectacular. The Gaillac Rouge " Cuvée Pourpre" is a blend of 40% Duras, 20% Fer Servadou, 20% Merlot and 20% Syrah and is made to be drunk relatively young, bursting with succulent, deep-flavoured damson fruit and very ripe, soft tannins. The "Cuvée Aurore" (made from 70% Sauvignon, 20% l'En de l'El and 10% Mauzac) has an alluring, honeyed floral nose, is deliciously fresh and ripe with perfect balancing acidity and combines intelligently supportive oak (8 months in 2 year-old oak). The Grande Cuvée Rouge is made from 40 year-old vines (Cabernet-Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot) planted on gravelly soil on southerly facing, steep hillsides, the yield achieved was a mere 35hl./ha. After a vatting period of 30 days, the finished wine is aged in oak barrels for 15 months and is then bottled without any fining or filtration. The bouquet oozes coffee and cocoa whilst the palate is crammed full of rich red and black fruit flavours. A new departure last year was the production of a 'special cuvée' white Grande Cuvée Blanc which is a barrel-fermented, super-concentrated peaches and cream effort with beautiful balancing acidity. It has been very well received throughout France and won numerous prestigious awards.
Château les Grauzils, PRAYSSAC Situated in the commune of Prayssac, in the central region of Cahors, the Pontié family's estate covers 32 hectares in prime sites on the steep terraces above the river Lot, planted on meagre sandy/gravelly soil. 75% of the vines planted are Malbec (locally known as the Auxerrois) with the rest being Merlot (22%) and Tannat (3%). Philippe Pontié is a big exponent of minimal chemical interference in the vineyard and allows grass to grow amongst the vines so as to use no herbicides. Traditionally fermented for 14-16 days, the Cuvée Duc d'Istrie, is sourced from 100% old-vine Malbec grown on the highest terraces and is aged in one-third new oak for 7-8 months. This is Cahors at its very best.
An excellent example of just how dynamic some of the French co-operatives can be. Under the direction of André Dubosc, some scintillating white wines have been making big waves in the wine-world. Our special cuvée, 'les Aroutis', comes from hand-picked Colombard vines which are pruned to yield low tonnages and, therefore, more intense fruit with a distinctively aromatic and floral bouquet. It is one of the best values in white wine to be found on our list!
Alain Brumont, CASTELNAU-RIVIÈRE-BASSE Alain and Catherine Brumont's names are synonymous with Madiran and their wines are amongst some of the world's finest. Their red wines are tremendous expressions of power and fruit and the Château Montus is their flag-ship wine, coming from an 85 hectare property that the Brumonts purchased in 1979, having spotted its perfect, yet idiosyncratic 'terroir' - a top soil of large "galets" (large pebbles) as you might find in Châteauneuf-du-Pape covering steep clay slopes. The Château Montus, a blend of 80% Tannat and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, is totally de-stemmed, is vatted for 5 weeks and aged in oak for a further twelve months. It has a very, very deep colour, a nose that combines ripe black fruits and vanilla and a concentrated, ripe and fleshy fruit that envelopes the fine-grained tannins and ensures excellent length. This is a wine that will develop well over the next six years and which will go on ageing for a further ten. Château Bouscassé is the Brumont's home and the soil is very different to Montus being a mixture of clay and limestone. We feel that Bouscassé's strength is the Pacherenc Blanc Sec which is a blend of 50% Petit Courbu and a 50% Arrufiac, Sauvignon and Gros Manseng. There is a brisk pre-fermentation maceration, followed by a long, cool fermentation (50% in tank and 50% in new oak). The end result is a lovely mouthful of honey and exotic fruit with an enticing balancing freshness and acidity. A really exciting discovery from the Alain Brumont stable is a Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne made entirely from Gros Manseng. This is part of a new project that Brumont has recently launched whereby he is sourcing grapes from growers whose soils and terroir are ideally suited to the particular variety in question. This is a gorgeously focused wine with an exuberant melons and passion-fruit nose, a refreshingly tangy fruitiness and an exotic and long finish.
[ Email us ] 