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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).

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.

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

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.

Gascony map

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. At the moment this is the only co-operative with which we work. PLAIMONT is a concocted word made from the towns of Plaisance, Aignan, and St Mont, the 3 caves (cellars) of the co-operative. Floc de Gascogne are all produced in this region Côtes de St Mont, Les Vignes Rétrouvées (dry white) Côtes de St Mont VDQS, Les Vignes Retrouvees (red) Côtes de St Mont VDQS,Chateau de Sabazan 1998 (red) Côtes de Gascogne (Vins de Pays) wines also come from this area See our new selection of duck and goose products from the South West - foie gras, confits, cassoulet Hachette Vacances: South West France and the Dordogne Hachette Vacances: South West France and the Dordogne - save 20% on this book CLICK HERE

The New France by Andrew Jefford Save 20%. Andrew Jefford has travelled extensively in each of France’s 14 wine regions to investigate the personalities and producers who have masterminded the resurgence of the French wine industry. His views support our own assertion that France is producing some classy wines, often from beyond the traditionally high profile and expensive “fine” wine regions.CLICK HERE

Our selected books on France, French wine, French food and maps & guides

PEYLOUBERE - ACCOMODATION - SW FRANCE PEYLOUBERE - Gers, South West France 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

Down in the deep South West this month you can enjoy the St Mont wine festival (32 Gers, Midi-Pyrenees) 24-26 March 2006,
“The epic story of Saint-Mont vineyards began in the fourth century BC, when first plants were imported by the Greeks” . In 1050 the Saint-Mont Abbey was founded by Benedictine monks. who often seem to be attracted to wine-making and so the appellation developed and these ‘fine wines from Gascony’ were exported to the United Kingdom as early as the 14th century.
Today the appellation is dominated by the Plaimont Co-operative, one of the best, most innovative co-ops in France, where production is lead by consideration of quality rather than quantity.
Local grape varieties dominate - St Mont reds and rose ae made from Tannat, Pinenc, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon; the whites from Arrufiac, Petit Courbu, Petit and Gros Manseng, Colombard and Ugni-Blanc. The reds tend towards the tannic, albeit with good fruit balance; the whites are fresh and crisp - I have never had a bad wine from Plaimont.
Numerous festivities take place over this weekend, including wine tasting, discovery trails, music and dancing! - see www.plaimont.com

UK stockists include Haynes, Hanson & Clark at Stow-on-the Wold and London.

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Keywords: St Mont, Gers,Plaimont,Stow-on-the-Wold,Midi-Pyrenees