Berthoumieu Symph Automne - 50cl 2006

A Domaines Berthoumieu white wine

(SL0000010140)

Our price £11.50 (inc VAT)

Minimum order quantity is 6 bottles.

Orders placed before midday will normally be delivered within 3-4 days

Country	France
Region	Madiran & Pacherenc
Class	Madiran

Grape	Petit Manseng, Petit Courbu
Volume	50cl
Style	Sweet, dessert

There have been vineyards in Madiran or Vic-Bilh (to give its original dialect name) since the 3rd century and, in the Middle Ages, pilgrims en route for Santiago de Compostela appreciated the wines. Pacherenc may be made from any one of a variety of grapes: arrufiac (or arrufiat or ruffiac) is traditional, although many growers are turning to gros and petit manseng and even a little sauvignon. Dry, off dry or sweet, these wines are unusual and quite distinct from Jurançon with flavours of spiced bread and mint. In Madiran the traditional grape variety is Tannat, its very name suggestive of rustic astringency, and it constitutes anything between 40 and 60 per cent of the blend with the Cabernets and a little Fer (locally called Pinenc) making up the remainder. The soil in Madiran is endowed with deposits of iron and magnesium and is so compacted that neither rain nor vines can easily penetrate - these are dark, intense, minerally wines. As with Jurançon (q.v.) a group of young wine makers have worked hard to promote the identity of their wines. These growers are known locally as 'Les Jeunes Mousquetaires' and foremost amongst them is Didier Barré whose achievements at Domaine Berthoumieu have harvested many a heartbeat in the Guide Hachette. The Tannat tannin levels would test the tusks of any taster, and invention being the mother of necessity has led to the practice of micro-oxygenation via a microbules machine. This device injects tiny bubbles of oxygen into the wine after the fermentation; the idea being that the normal method of racking off the lees disturbs the wine too much, whereas this gentler method allows slow aeration leading to wines of greater suppleness. The Pacherenc Symphonie d'Automne is an evocative meditation on autumn with meltingly aromatic pears in clover honey. This delight comes from a blend of Petit Manseng (90%) and Petit Courbu (10%). The vintage is harvested entirely by hand with three 'tris' from early November to December in order to intensify those rapturous aromas of wild honey and confit fruits.

more ↓ less ↑

Buying this earns you 18 cork points per bottle