FrenchDuck UK - Latest

The two appellations of Madiran AC (red) and Pacherenc du Vic Bilh AC (white) were created in 1948, and will be celebrating n July and August 2008.
These 2 appellations are typical of the South West of France - producing distinctively different styles of wine from lesser-known grape varieties - predominantly Tannat for the Madiran, Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng for the usually sweet Pacherenc-du-Vic Bilh. These are not necessaily “fashionable” wines but they are interesting, characterful, honest wines, which are no longer just rustic curiousities. Modern wine-making techniques enable skilled winemakers to produce more approachable wines whilst retaining the essential character which distinguishes them from the mainstream.
Didier Barre produces wonderfully rich and smooth Madiran at Domaine Berthoumieu - his sweet Pacherenc is a delicious, complex perfumed dessert wine. Another top producer is the Laplace family at Chateau d’Aydie.
The excellent co-operative Producteurs Plaimont produces good examples of the regions wines.
In August the Fete des Vins de Madiran takes place on the weekend of 14 and 15 August 2008 in the village of Madiran (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees).
From 4-14 July there are a series of events to celebrate, including daily “introduction to wine tasting” sessions at the Maison des Vins in Madiran, guided walks amongst the vineyards, music and barbecues - see www.civso.com (in French).

Duck, Goose, Foie Gras, Cassoulet, Madiran, Armagnac and all the other good rich produce of the land feature in Martin Calder’s book A Summer in Gascony: Discovering the Other South of France which offers a good summer read if you are interested in absorbing a bit of “la France profonde”.
This is the story of a student summer working in Gascony a few years ago, based at the isolated Auberge in Peguilhan (31 Haut-Garonne, Midi-Pyrenees)in the Comminges area of Gascony. Staying several months on a working farm and auberge gives a different and well-informed and affectionate view of the land, its people and traditions. I suspect many of us head south to try to capture just a glimpse of the essence of a place where people and nature seem to have found a natural harmony, enriched by the bounteous harvest of its farmers and winemakers. In between the story of the summer’s work and play Martin Calder offers you a wealth of snippets of information, whether it be about the wine (and Armagnac), the history (and the links between the Gascons and the British), the fiercely independent Gascon character (decidedly not French!), the Gascon beret and tradtional cooking. It is perhaps the sense of being distant from the pressures of modern city life which pervades the region - the rhythms of the seasons and the weather. I suspect that much has changed at the auberge since his days at Peguilhan (as suggested in his epilogue), but Gascony still has many quiet hidden corners; the people remain as down-to-earth and welcoming, the food, wine and Armagnac as good as ever.
A Summer in Gascony: Discovering the Other South of France

The Independent (5 April 08) has another article based on research (this time from the French National Statistics Institute) which shows that your chances of getting to a healthy old age are better in France than in the UK, and that this is probably due to both diet and red wine!

Despite the French passion for cream, eggs and foie gras, le digestif after a meal, and an addiction to Gitanes cigarettes, they have half our obesity levels, less than half our death rate from heart disease and lower rates of cancer in women (but not men). They play boules and cycle, even in their dotage, which keeps them active enough to enjoy lunch. And lunch they take very seriously – a proper, sit-down, three- or four-course meal from an early age…. there are regional differences. Expectation of life is higher in the south of France than in the north, and especially high in the south-west. If you truly wish to live to be 100, you could try the red wine, olive oil, poultry, fish and haricots of the typical French south-western diet.. Then there is the wine. There have been rapid increases in wine sales in the UK in the past decade, yet British consumption at 27 litres a head per year still has a long way to go to match the French at 64 litres. Despite drinking in greater quantities, the French drink more moderately, with meals, as opposed to binge drinking in Britain.

This tends to reinforce the value of tannic red wines such as Madiran with its high levels of procyanadin which is thought to have beneficial effects on the heart.

I suspect that is also has something to do with the pace of life, as outside of Paris things do appear less frenetic than in the UK - people do stop for lunch and generally seem less hassled - athough not necessarily better humoured! The availability of fresh, locally sourced seasonal food is also clearly better in the many small local markets - and shopping at the market itself can be less stressful than going to the supermarket.
The Red Wine Diet

A surprising concoction from a respected Madiran producer, which challenges the perception of the rich tannic Tannat grape from southwest France. It almost sounds a contradiction in terms, and another of those rather dubious French inventions which I have always suspected were just a way to re-invent unwanted left-over grape juice!
The Birmingham Post (3 April 2008) featured Maydie Tannat

Mention sweet red wine and a lot of people would be fetching their coats, but fortified vins de liqueur, made in a similar way to port, are very popular in France.

And although Maydie may sound a bit ominous translated into English, it certainly has a more than lively personality.

It’s produced by the Laplace family from Tannat grapes at Château d’Aydie in the Madiran region in the south-west of France.

Leave this fascinating wine in a glass for a few moments and the powerful scents begin to waft around the room: blackberry, licorice, menthol, elderberry.

It’s thick, densely dark purple and you might expect a correspondingly muscular flavour, so that the sweetness comes almost as a surprise - damsons and baked plum crumble disarmingly balancing the obvious sturdy tannin structure and high alcohol (17 per cent).

The thick-skinned Tannat grapes are also high in polyphenols, powerful antioxidants which are claimed to be good for your heart.

Maydie is available from The Wine Society for £10.95 per 50cl bottle (see www.thewinesociety.com). A similar idea based on the Malbec grape in Cahors is made by Chateau de Chambert called Rogomme, available from HG Wines in London.

For more info on Chateau d’Aydie and Madiran wines see www.frenchduck.com

The heart of Gascony the Gers département (32 Midi-Pyrenees) offers what I consider to be the real “France profonde” - quiet, peaceful, gently rolling countryside with a distant view of the Pyrenees. You are miles away from the turbulence of the city and its traffic and fumes. The only very ocassional reminder is a speeding jet of the French Air Force and the high vapour trails of planes crossing the continent.
Yet this does not have to be a rural scene without modern facilities, nor without careful design and style as you will discover at the B&B Chambres d’Hote Les Chenes Verts de Gascogne:

Our Bed and Breakfast is a large restored 17th century gascony stone farmhouse set in 3 hectares of garden with four ensuite bedrooms and swimming pool. Situated in beautiful countryside with outstanding views, surrounded by vines and ideally placed for visiting the many historical sites, tasting the wines and armagnac at the local domaines, shopping at the local markets, visiting the Thermal Spa, house hunting or just lazing by the pool in its tranquil setting.

Here Julie-Ann and her family have magnificently restored an old stone farmhouse into a comfortable and elegant place to stay, with four ensuite bedrooms - 3 with kingsize beds and 1 with twin double beds. Outside there is 12mx6m swimming pool, a garden with covered shaded terrace and wonderful views over the countryside (see photos)

Although somewhat isolated from hustle and bustle (situated north west of Auch at Bezolles) there is nevertheless plenty to do in the region - follow the traces of the Three Musketeers and d’Artagnan, explore the charming towns and their markets or go wine- or Armagnac-hunting!

The house is surrounded by the vines of Domaine Camp du Haut producers of Madiran and Armagnac and Julie-Ann can introduce you to the owners of the Domaine for a tasting - and at least you could walk back afterwards!

In addition they have a very good and elegant website which offers online booking - see www.leschenesvertsdegascogne.com

Les Chenes Verts De Gascogne, la Bourdette, Gers France 32310

T:00 33 562 28 90 50 F: 00 33 562 29 28 51

see our map and more info on the area

cforms contact form by delicious:days

For more info and photos click Read more on this…

Chateau d’Aydie and the Laplace family are widely regarded as one of the foremost quality producers of Madiran wines is deep Southwest France. Frédéric Laplace was recognised as one of the pioneer winemakers to bottle Madiran wines and to sell them under his own name when the appellation was created in 1948 - when there was just 50 hectares of vineyard under production, compared to the 1650 hectares which now produce Madiran wines.
The whole venture is very much a family affair - the three grandsons and granddaughter of Frédéric run the estate between them - Francois in charge of the business side; Jean-Luc is in charge of wine-making; Bernard manages the vines; and Marie presides over the office, whilst their father Pierre is in semi-retirement but still very much involved.

In his book “The New France” Andrew Jefford says of Chateau d’Aydie “Everything is impeccably clean, minutely organised, deeply considered, exhaustively refined…. a range of model Madirans” The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine (Mitchell Beazley Wine Guides)

At Allez Vins! we imported 3 superb Madiran cuvées from Chateau d’Aydie and a couple of excellent Vins de Pays. The key difference between the Madirans is the percentage of the Tannat grape used.

See map

MADIRAN is one of our favourite appellations - seriously undervalued and overlooked on so many ocassions. These are big, tannic red wines of considerable character and style - and in earlier decades they were rightly regarded with a little caution especially when young. However, in recent years a younger generation has revolutionised the wines of the region, such that the best of these wines seriously challenge overpriced top Bordeaux. Techniques of retaining the tannic structure, whilst making the wines more fruity and approachable have transformed these wines. We are proud to feature the wines of 2 top domaines with varying styles and including some which we consider to be amongst the very best wines we have stocked.

The Madiran vineyard dates back to the first century BC. During the 11th century, the Benedictine monks founded the Abbey of Madiran and further developed the vines. Madiran was made an AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controllée or AC) in 1948 and was the first AOC to begin the process of receiving a quality control note after being analysed and tasted by the selection panel.

MADIRAN & PACHERENC DU VIC BILH
The area is known in the local dialect as Vic Bilh , a region which stretches out across three departments - the Gers, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and the Hautes-Pyrénées. The silica clay soils are highly suited to the production of white Pacherenc varieties and the chalky clay soils are very suited to the red varieties producing Madiran. The area of vine extends over 1,600 hectares (of which 1,400 produce Madiran). Total production stands at around 75,000hl for Madiran and 8,000 hl for Pacherenc.

GRAPE VARIETIES Four varieties are used to produce Madiran : Tannat is the main grape (40-60%). A classic variety - it adds structure and an unusual, unique taste. Cabernet Franc (Bouchy) and Cabernet Sauvignon add suppleness, bouquet and finesse. Fer Servadou (or Pinenc) adds a fruity element to the mix of aromas. High in tannin, Madiran is a well-structured full-bodied red wine. A production decree insists that it be aged for one year before being released for sale. After 2 - 3 years in bottle, the tannins soften and it develops a bouquet of dark fruits, of roasted coffee beans and spices. It reaches its peak after 4 - 8 years but can be enjoyed while young.
The local white wine is quite rare and is called “Pacherenc de Vic Bihl. It is made from six varieties : Arrufiac, Petit and Gros Manseng, Courbu, Sauvignon and Sémillon.

A personal favourite, Domaine Berthomieu is a small domaine (26 hectares) in the village of Viella (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees), in the north of the Madiran appellation. The domaine has been in the family since 1850 and Didier Barré is the 6th generation to own and run the domaine. Didier is a real enthusiast, passionate about his wines and respectful of the traditional character of the wine. The wines offer tremendous character and style, some of the best in the appellation. We were proud to submit his Madiran AC Cuvée Charles de Batz to the Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge, where it won a Gold Medal!

The domaine has two different plots - one on a pebbly, clay plateau to the west of the village facing south towards the Pyrenees, and the other a gravelly slope facing south east to the east of the village.

Many of the vines on the estate are between 40 and 100 years old. These older vines yield fewer grapes, but their long roots will extract more mineral character and trace elements.

See map location of Domaine Berthoumieu at Viella

He has a very good website at www.domaine-berthoumieu.com. Really well-presented with good photos, a lexicon of wine terms, details of the wines etc - but sadly only in French.
Amongst the things which caught my eye was a highly unusual red dessert wine , a”Vin de Liqueur” called TANATIS - made from late harvested (end of October) grapes. These are 100% Tannat (the Madiran grape) from vines which are more than 50 years old. After 10 days of maceration to extract colour and tannins from the flesh, skin and pips, the fermentation is prematurely stopped by the addition of spirit alcohol - in the same manner as the making of Port. This stops the conversion of sugar into alcohol and hence retains a natural sweetness in the wine. After ageing for 8 months in oak barrels it is bottled quite young, but it is claimed it will last up to 15 years in bottle. The tasting notes suggest highly concentrated flavours of wild berries, black berries and a touch of prunes. The French of course suggest it as an aperitif, but I prefer the idea of it accompanying a Chocolate Tart.
Tanatis - Vin de Liqueur du Sud Ouest from Domaine Berthoumieu.

For something rather less unusual, but an excellent white dessert wine - his Pacherenc du Vic Bilh “Symphonie d’Automne” is a stunner.

Gers (32 Midi-Pyrenees) is a land rich in history (Three Musketeers), rolling countryside and home to Armagnac, Madiran, Côtes de St Mont and Côtes de Gascogne wines. It is predominantly quiet and rural with few major towns or through routes. Hence its weekly markets tend to be really good with lots of top quality local produce on sale - and a real atmosphere of deepest France. I can particularly recommend Nogara - where the Saturday market tends to take over the town, and Auch where the range of produce is impressive.

The information here is provided in good faith, but do bear in mind that some markets may not take place every week, and sometimes not at all outside the summer season. Its always best to check with the local tourist office - or with locals.

Read more on this…

If you are in SouthWest France towards the end of March, you’d do well to get down to deepest Gascony for the open doors weekend of the Plaimont Co-operative for the St Mont festival(32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees - see map) from 23-25 March 2007. Here you can taste and buy Madiran (red), Pacherenc du Vic Billh (dessert white). Cotes de St Mont VDQS (red, white and rose), Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne. You’ll get to meet and talk to the winemakers and get a good deal on any purchases - e.g 6 bottles for the price of 4.
Now this is really deepest France - overwhelmingly rural and agricultural - gently rolling hills, no major towns or main roads - quiet, peaceful. few people, sleepy villages - and yet for some reason the Gers departement manages to host some mainstream events, such as the annual summer Jazz Festival in Marciac (August), a funky salsa festival of music and dance in Tempo Latino at Vic Fezensac in July (where there is also a Whitsun Bull-running festival (Feria)) and numerous celebrations around wine throughout the year. The Gersois are intensely proud of their tradtions, ably demonstrated by the Plaimont co-op where quality and tradtion come together so well.
For more info on Plaimont see www.plaimont.com
For dates of the other events see www.frenchduck.com/webcal

Self-Catering Cottages and Bed & Breakfast Accommodation in a listed 17th Century domaine in Gascony - 35 acres, lakes, pool and Spa
Ideal location for visiting Madiran, Jurancon, Côtes de St Mont, Côtes de Gascogne, Armagnac, Floc de Gascogne vineyards.
Situated just 10 minutes drive south of Auch (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees - see map), Peyloubère is classified as a ‘Monument Historique’ by virtue of the fact that it was the home of the Italian painter, Mario Cavaglieri for over forty years. Legacies of his ownership are the frescoed ceilings in many of the rooms of the Manoir, the graceful Italian garden and the relaxed, bohemian atmosphere of the Domaine.
T: 00 33 562 05 74 97
F: 00 33 562 05 75 39
E:Martin@Peyloubere.com
Address: Domaine de Peyloubère, 32550, Pavie, Le Gers.
Website: www.peyloubere.com

Chateau d’Aydie and the Laplace family are widely regarded as one of the foremost quality producers of Madiran. Frédéric Laplace was recognised as one of the pioneer winemakers - first to bottle Madiran wines and to sell them under his own name when the appellation was created in 1948 - when there was just 50 hectares of vineyard under production, compared to the 1650 hectares which now produce Madiran wines.

The whole venture is very much a family affair - the three grandsons and granddaughter of Frédéric run the estate between them - Francois in charge of the business side; Jean-Luc is in charge of wine-making; Bernard manages the vines; and Marie presides over the office, whilst their father Pierre is in semi-retirement but still very much involved.

In his new book “The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine (Mitchell Beazley Wine Guides)” Andrew Jefford says of Chateau d’Aydie “Everything is impeccably clean, minutely organised, deeply considered, exhaustively refined…. a range of model Madirans”

It is always a sure sign of excellent wines when the top restaurants in the region include them on the wine list.
Madiran has been in the headlines recently due to a new book by Richard Corder “The Wine Diet“, which extolls the health-giving benefits of the Madiran wines from South West France.

We imported 2 superb Madirans from Chateau d’Aydie and a couple of excellent Vins de Pays. The key difference between the Madirans is the percentage of the Tannat grape used.
The top cuvée is the Chateau d’Aydie - made from 100% Tannat grapes - a “grand vin” - greater power and energy with considerable fruit character (blackberries and blackcurrants), with hints of mushroom and tobacco. Aged in new oak for 12 months. (The 2001 vintage was recommended in the Guide Hachette des Vins 2003. “..intense and complex nose…fruit, menthol and woodsmoke..well balanced flavours mingled with vanilla and toast.“)
The next cuvée is Madiran AC Odé d’Aydie where the proportion of the Tannat grape is 80%. The Odé d’Aydie is made from top quality vines and aged partly in new oak barrels and partly in large oak vats. This produces a “sweeter” and richer wine than more basic Madirans, with suggestions of plums and tobacco. (Recommended in the Guide Hachette des Vins 2002. “”elegant in its deep, bright blackness, the Odé d’Aydie leaves in its trail intensely smoky aromas, fragrances of vanilla and menthol, notes of balsam…full-bodied, velvety and structured.”)
The Vins de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne carry the label “Aramis” indicative of their origin in 3 Musketeers country, and are excellent quality easy-drinking wines.
See map

Domaine Berthomieu is a small domaine (26 hectares) in the village of Viella, in the north of the Madiran appellation. The domaine has been in the family since 1850 and Didier Barré is the 6th generation to own and run the domaine. Didier is a real enthusiast, passionate about his wines and respectful of the traditional character of the wine. We are proud to feature his wines which offer tremendous character and style, some of the best in the appellation.
The domaine has two different plots - one on a pebbly, clay plateau to the west of the village facing south towards the Pyrenees, and the other a gravelly slope facing south east to the east of the village.
Many of the vines on the estate are between 40 and 100 years old. These older vines yield fewer grapes, but their long roots will extract more mineral character and trace elements.

The domaine also produces some fine white wines - Pacherenc du Vic Bilh AC - sweet and dry. Both wines are made from very old vines (over 50 years old) and are delicately oaked, using local grape varieties such as Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng and Petit Courbu.

Madiran AC Domaine Berthoumieu Cuvée Charles de Batz
GOLD MEDAL + TANNAT TROPHY + GREAT VALUE AWARD in the INTERNATIONAL WINE CHALLENGE 2004.
Madiran can be a bit tough when young, but this top cuvée made from older vines (more than 50 years old) with 90% Tannat and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in new oak barrels is rich and smooth - with tannins which are gentle and generous. Intensely inky black colour, fat and generous tannins, spicy with hints of elderberry, plums and cocoa and tobacco.
“In this Tannat-dominated blend, the typically chunky tannins are interwoven with flavours and scents of black damsons, flowers, blueberries and creosote! Round, textured and concentrated with a long finish”. Don’t be put off by the “creosote” mention - it is the pure fruit concentration and mellow tannins which make this a real blockbuster, and although it is clearly a “BIG” wine, it is gentle with your mouth and tastebuds.
And to top it all - this wine also gets a GOOD VALUE RED award.
Charles de Batz was the real soldier who was immortalised as d’Artagnan - one of the Three Musketeers of Alexandre Dumas’ novels. This area was the home of the musketeers under the reign of Louis XIV.

The epic story of the Côtes de Saint-Mont vineyards began in the fourth century BC, when the first plants were imported by the Greeks. It is thus one of the oldest vineyards in France. Then one witnessed an important development from 1050 with the founding of the Saint-Mont Abbey by Benedictine monks. The monks were particularly interested by an area already colonised by the vine. The ‘crus’ developed and these ‘fine wines from Gascony’ were exported to the United Kingdom as early as the 14th century. Today the appellation Côtes de Saint-Mont stretches over 49 villages in the Gers. Wines are considered as ‘discovery wines’ or ‘terroir wines’ and are experiencing a promising revival. As far back as the 11th Century the arrival of Benedictine monks (from the Abbey de Marcillac in Burgundy) helped to improve the wines of the area, and being on one of the roads to Santiago de Compostella they quickly acquired a reputation
In the heart of Gascony (Gascogne) the landscape is of gently rolling hills with good soil and exposure to the sun. The climate is gentle and ideal for maturing grapes in late season.
VDQS is the abbreviation for VIN DÉLIMITÉ DE QUALITÉ SUPERIEURE - a classification which is slightly more generous than full Appellation Controllée (AC) status. As such it is a guarantee that the wines come from a small specific geographical area, and must contain certain minimum percentages of specified grape varieties (usually traditional to the area), and hence conform broadly to a particular style, However, there is more flexibility for the winemaker in yields and the addition of other grape varieties in the blend. We like to think of them mainly as Very Delicious Quaffing Selections, but are also capable of producing some really fine and serious wines. This is another example of the French classification system becoming less relevant, as all three wines which we stock from the Côtes de St Mont are much better than many other wines we have tasted which are classified as “Appellation Controllée!

PRODUCTEURS PLAIMONT. We generally prefer to work with smaller individual domaines, but the Plaimont co-operative is streets ahead of other co-ops - producing excellent and distinctive wines of consistent quality at keen prices. It has had the benefit of good management and leadership, which has ensured that, unlike many co-operatives, it does not work at the comfort level of the weakest members. Instead it has been visionary and innovative, and most importantly places the highest emphasis on wine quality.