Grands vins - South West

Region with one of the most beautiful patchwork of terroirs, grape varieties and appellations. These appellations, including the famous Madiran, Jurançon and Gaillac, produce great typical wines with an exceptional value for money

Bergerac, Côtes-de-Bergerac

Located on both sides of Dordogne, with vineyards spread over 7000 ha of sunny hillsides and plateaux around Bergerac. The appellation has a wide variety of terroirs, allowing for a production of red and white wines with excellent value for money.

The Côte-de-Bergerac AOC includes the appellation's high-range with more advanced wines.

Main grape varieties : Cabernet-sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, malbec, fer sarvadou, mérille for red wines and rosés ; sémillon, sauvignon, muscadelle, ondenc, chenin, ugni blanc for white wines.

Soils : Clay-limestone, sand, molasses, marls and limestone in the south.

Style of wines :

Bergerac :

Red wines : aromas of red fruits (stawberry, blackcurrant..) for these delightful, fine, supple and easy to drink red wines.

White wines : Good lenght in the mouth for these bright and fresh dry white wines.

Rosés : great aromatic freshness (raspberry, berries...) for these rosé wines with a beautiful salmon color.

Côtes-de-Bergerac :

Red wines : tannic, complex wines with aromas of ripe fruits and spices, and a good ageing potential.

White wines : these are excellent syrupy and sweet wines, fresh, rich and round with a rather pronounced bouquet.

Monbazillac

Producing syrupy white wines which are some of the most famous wines from Dordogne. The vineyards benefit from a temperate climate which is favorable to the development of noble rot, and spread over steep hillsides of 5 communes : Pomport, Rouffignac, Colombier, Saint-Laurent-des-Vignes and Monbazillac. On good years, the wines are worth almost as much as some great Sauternes wines.

Main grape varieties : Sémillon, sauvignon, muscadelle.

Soils : Clay-limestone with a high percentage of clay.

Style of wines : Light golden color. Complex bouquet with aromas of white flowers, dried fruits (almond, hazelnut) and touches of honey and soft spices. In the mouth, well-balanced between power and vivacity with a long and aromatic finish for these great syrupy wines.

Buzet

Oldest and most renowned appellation of the Garonne AOCs, with a vineyard of 200 ha located between the left bank of the Garonne river and the Landes border, producing a majority of red wines which compete easily with Bordeaux wines. Misshandled during the phylloxera crisis, it owes its reputation to the remarkable work of the winemakers of the powerful « winemakers of Buzet » association.

Main grape varieties : Merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet-sauvignon for red wines and rosés ; sémillon and sauvignon for white wines.

Soils : Gravel, clay-limestone and boulbènes.

Style of wines :

Red wines : aromas of red and black fruits, spicy and smokey notes for these tannic, powerful and fleshy wines. With age, they develop aromas of undergrowth, humus and game.

White wines : aromas of fruits and white flowers for these white wines with a beautiful freshness.

Rosés : very aromatic nose.

Cahors

World-famous appellation, with vineyards spread over 4200 ha south of Quercy, producing red wines exclusively. These wines, nicknamed « black tie » after their almost black color, were very appreciated by François 1er and the Russian court, who used them as sacramental wines. A few producers, including Pascal Verhaeghe (Château de Cèdre), partnered to create a quality chart « Cahors Excellence » which garantees a production of high-quality wines.

Main grape varieties : Malbec, merlot, tannat.

Soils : Limestone, alluvium, stones, clay-limestone.

Style of wines :

Dark color, almost black garnet red. Aromas of stone fruits and macerated red fruits, developping flavor of prune, chocolate, liquorice and humus with age. These are generally powerful and generous wines, even if some of them, composed mostly of merlot, are more supple and easy to drink.

Côtes-du-Frontannais ou Fronton

Producing 100 000 hl of mostly red wines, the vines are planted on layered terraces, spread over 2400 ha between Tarn and Garonne, producing wines with beautiful quality and characteristics, a result of the local grape variety : Négrette.

Main grape varieties : Négrette, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, gamay, fer servadou, malbec, cinsaut.

Soils : Gravel, boulbènes, iron-rich « rougets ».

Style of wines :

Red wines : deep ruby color. Aromas of red fruits, flowers (violette, peony) and spices (liquorice, pepper) for these elegant Toulouse wines.

Rosés : aromas of red fruits, exotic fruits and white flowers for these delightful and bright rosé wines.

Gaillac

Very old and appreciated by wine lovers for its range of great wines, the vines are spread over 2500 ha, producing red wines, rosés, white wines (dry, sparkling and sweet) as well as red and white primeur wines. The Gaillac-Premières-Côtes AOC produces a dry white wine.

Main grape varieties : Duras, braucol, gamay, syrah, négrette, cabernet franc for red wines. Mauzac, len de l’el, muscadelle, sauvignon, ondenc, sémillon for white wines.

Soils : Gravel on the left bank of the Tarn river (red wines) ; granit and limestone on the right bank (white wines).

Style of wines :

Red wines : nose with red fruits and spices for these well-balanced, structured and convivial red wines.

Dry white wines : aromas of green apple and pear with a typical Mauzac nose for these elegant and fresh white wines, slightly sparkling in the mouth.

Dry perlés white wines : aromas of mauzac or len de l'el for these bright and fresh wines.

Sweet white wines : notes of honey, candied apple, fig and white flowers.

Sparkling wines : aromas of apple for these seductive wines with a remarkably fine bubbles.

Primeur red wines : aromas of small red fruits for these fresh wines which can be tasted only after the third thursday of november.

Madiran

Very appreciated by wine lovers, with vines planted on layered terraces at the bottom of the Pyrénées moutains, producing 70 000 hl of great red wines. They are very typical tannic wines, a result of Tannat. They were known for a long time as the wine of the Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle's pilgrims and became Paris' star wine in the 1970s.

Main grape varieties : Tannat, cabernet-franc, cabernet-sauvignon, fer servadou.

Soils : Clay-limestone, silica, gravel.

Style of wines :

Aromas of raspberry and black fruits with notes of spices and truffle for these tannic and rich red wines. With age, their tannins loosen up and they develop roasted notes and touches of prune. They are high-quality wines with a strong ageing potential.

Jurançon, Jurançon sec

Exceptional appellation for lovers of great syrupy wines, with vineyards spread over 1000 ha of terraces and the Pyrénées moutains in the background. The Jurançon AOC only produces sweet white wines, often produced from late harvests. The dry wines are marketed under the Jurançon sec appellation.

Main grape varieties : Gros manseng and petit manseng, courbu.

Soils : Clay-limestone marls or sand-lime, poudingues.

Style of wines :

–        jurançon : aromas of lemon, grapefruit, tropical fruits and honey for these exceptional sweet wines with a flavorful long finish.

–        Jurançon sec : aromas of flowers and exotic fruits for these bright and delicately effervescent wines.