The southwest of France is more than just Bordeaux in terms of wine although Bordeaux is normally excluded from being called a wine from the “South West” wine region. This is because Bordeaux’s production and notoriety is so massive, it gets to be its own region. However, there are several wines in the South West that are worth checking out.
Wines from South West France
Probably the two most famous regions in the South West are Cahors and Madiran. The latter is famous for their Tannat and the former for their Malbec. Both tend to be more rustic and tannic reds that go perfectly with heavy SouthWest cuisine like cassoulet or duck confit. These two appellations you can find internationally.
I’ve also enjoyed wines from IGP Cotes de Gascogne, which has a Vin de Pays designation but is from the South West region. This more generic regional designation allows producers to break from the requirements of their local appellation. Cotes de Gascogne wines are usually white wines made from local varieties Courbu, Gros Manseng, Colombard, Ugni Blanc, Folle Blanche and Arrufiac. A lot is exported, so you might be able to find it outside of France. This region is known more for Armagnac, a brandy made from these same grapes, but the whites have become quite good for the price.
If you live in France or travel to France, you might see a lot more names like Bergerac, Pécharmant, Buzet, Brulhois, Cotes de Duras and Montravel, where they essentially make both red and white Bordeaux varieties. Plus, Saussignac and Monbazillac make sweet wines similar to Barsac and Sauternes in Bordeaux. Béarn, near Madiran, also makes Tannat dominated wines while Coteaux du Quercy focuses on Cabernet Franc. Some of the others focus on Bordeaux variety whites, blends of Cabernet Franc with Tannat, or even Syrah and Gamay.
Next time I go to France, I’m going to look for wines from Gaillac, Marcillac or Estaing, where they make wines from more obscure red grapes like Fer Servadou, Prunelard and Duras or the white grape Len de L’el. There’s also Fronton, where they grow Negrette, which used to be a common variety in California. In fact, many current Sonoma vines were grafted onto Negrette rootstock.
Unfortunately, I only had limited space in my suitcase on my recent trip, so I decided to grab a bottle from two other interesting sub-regions: Jurançon and Irouleguy. I found them at a supermarket in Brittany. In addition, I bought a more expensive wine from Jurançon from a famous producer, but this one is much harder to find. I had to order it online from a boutique shop near Bordeaux.
Jurançon Sec
More specifically, I wanted to try out Jurançon Sec wines. Jurançon for most French is typically thought of as a late-harvest sweet wine. You can find it in the same section as Sauternes actually, but Jurançon moelleux (sweet wines) don’t use botrytis. In contrast, Jurançon Sec wines are not as well-known. My interest grew when I saw that Didier Dagueneau, an elite producer of whites from the Loire Valley, also made wines from Jurançon. Their Jurançon Sec (but not their sweet) wine is unique in that it is dominated by the rare local grape Camarelet de Lasseube, so I had to find it.
Jurançon is located at the foothills of the Pyrenees close to the city of Pau. Both their sweet and dry wines are primarily made up of Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng. The latter is considered the richer and more elegant of the two. Petit Manseng can also be found in places like Virginia, Spanish Basque country and Uruguay if you can’t find South West French Petit Manseng blends. The Jurançon appellation also allows small amounts (less than 50%) of rarer native grapes: Courbou (Petit Courbu & Courbu Blanc), Lauzet and Camarelet. Therefore, the Dagueneau dry white I found is not actually labeled Jurançon probably because it is dominated by Camarelet, which surpasses the less than 50% requirement. However, the supermarket Jurançon Sec I found must be more standard with mostly Gros and Petit Manseng since it is labeled Jurançon Sec.
Irouleguy
I wanted to try a wine from Irouleguy because it’s located in the French Basque country, and the Basques have had a lot of influence on Chilean culture and wine. I’ve already written about Basque Txakoli and Chilean Chacolí. The Basques also influenced Uruguay’s wine culture. Irouleguy primarily makes reds from Tannat and Cabernet Franc like many sub-regions of the South West, so it’s no surprise that Basque immigrants brought over Tannat to Uruguay in the 19th century. Similarly, Irouleguy makes whites from typical South West varieties like Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng and Courbou, so of course Basque immigrants took Petit Manseng with them too.
Irouleguy stretches to the border of Spain. Being 40km from the Atlantic, it benefits from the cooling ocean air. Today, much of the production comes from the cooperative Cave Irouleguy, but there are some independent producers too.
Tasting Notes
2016 Didier Dagueneau Les Jardins de Babylone (Sec)
Made from all five of Jurançon’s permitted white grapes: Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng, along with local grapes: Courbu, Lauzet, and Camarelet. Camarelet, which is the rarest of the Jurançon varieties, is the featured grape in this blend. They use the same techniques they use in their Pouilly Fumé wines: matured in stainless steel and ‘cigar’ barrels before blended together. The cheapest you can find it for is about $45, but this is still half or a third of the price of Dagueneau’s top Pouilly Fumé like Pur Sang and Silex.
Reticent nose, but what you can get from it is minerality and freshness. The palate is outstanding. Plenty of fruit and body while also expressing lots of acidity and minerality, salinity. Powerful but seamless. Rounder and fuller than most Pouilly Fumé, but the acidity and minerality you get from it reminds you more of that region and the wines of Dagueneau. 95+ point palate, but the nose never quite opened up after over 90 minutes of drinking it. By then, the bottle was empty. Plenty of stuffing to improve over time. A versatile wine to go with white meat and seafood. 93+
2020 Cave de Gan Tradition Royale Jurancon Sec
I couldn’t find any information about this wine. It’s most likely a blend of Gros and Petit Manseng. Perhaps there’s a bit of Courbu or other local grapes too. However, the bottle label mentions an interesting tidbit about Jurancon wines. Legend says that future French King Henri IV of Navarre, who was born in Pau, was baptized by his grandfather with garlic and Jurancon wine in the 16th century. This is still a tradition that exists today in Béarn.
Not forthcoming aromatically, but there’s some minerality, honey and spice. The palate is more appealing with zesty fruit, salinity, minerality and spice. Medium-bodied. Seems like there could be some oak as it is not uncommon in Jurancon to vinify in oak barrels. Definitely a dry wine. Not the fruitiest either. A surprise for anyone who’s only had the sweet Jurancon wines. Not as complex, powerful, and mouth filling as the Les Jardins de Babylone, but a great deal for anyone who wants a cheaper alternative to White Burgundy.. 90
2018 Brana Ohitza “Souvenir” Irouleguy Pays Basque
About 14 euros at a French supermarket. Domaine Brana is a family estate, but they’ve also worked with consultant Jean-Claude Berrouet, former long-time winemaker of Chateau Petrus. They are Haut Valeur Environnementale certified, which means they promote biodiversity and limit pesticides. This is made of 50% Tannat and 50% Cabernet Franc grown on sandstone soils. 70% of the wine is aged in used barrels of various ages and 30% in cement vats. They’re aged about a year with racking every 3 months.
The nose reminds me of Bordeaux or a Bordeaux blend with ripe but bright fruit and sweet spices. Although the palate has plenty of tannic and acidic structure, it’s a bit thin on the mid-palate and not as ripe as the nose. The flavor profile reminds me more of Tannat than Cabernet Franc, but a lighter Tannat than Madiran–closer to Tannat from Uruguay. However, it’s starting to build with more air and the tannins and acidity should allow it to age. It is approachable now with food. Great with Osau-Iraty (Basque sheep’s milk cheese). 89+
Conclusion
I definitely need to try more Jurancon Sec and other dry whites from the region. Most of the descriptions I saw for Jurancon/Manseng based wines often referred to the sweet wines rather than the dry versions. There’s not really a standard style for the dry versions and/or it’s simply not well-known enough. The Dagueneau version is not considered typical and features the least common grape of the region as opposed to more common Petit and Gros Manseng. I’ve had much fruitier and sweeter (but still technically dry or almost off-dry) versions of Petit Manseng based wines from the South West and Virginia. However, the Royal Tradition was definitely on the dry and savory side. All of them have good acidity regardless. This is one reason why some have suggested that Bordeaux expands their white varieties rules to include other South West varieties like Petit and Gros Manseng to deal with global warming taking away the freshness from their whites (try Chateau du Retout Le Retout Blanc as an affordable example of a Bordeaux producer using Gros Manseng and other unapproved whites in their blend).
As far as the Irouleguy red, I like the acidic and tannic structure for development over the next 6-10 years. However, it’s approachable now with meaty foods. It’s sort of in between Tannat based wines from Madiran and Uruguay.
Have you tried wines from South West France? Which?