Natural Wine from the Southwest
A vast, fragmented vineyard with multiple terroirs
The South West vineyard is a veritable mosaic of different appellations with strong identities, more or less close to each other. Representing more than 45,000 ha of planted vines, it extends from the Aquitaine basin to the Pyrenean foothills via the foothills of the Massif Central. This gives it a multitude of terroirs with limestones and alluvial terraces from Marmandais to Graves, sands and silts on Fronton through the limestone sands and clays of Bergeracois.
An unrivalled wealth of indigenous grape varieties
But this vineyard is above all marked by the work of these indigenous grape varieties such as Négrette in Fronton, Fer Servadou in Marcillac or even Mauzac in Gaillac which remind us of the multi-faceted side of this territory, and above all its incredible richness.
Many of its natural winegrowers today seek to defend the “real” grape varieties of this region, Abouriou, Duras, Tannat, Loin de l’Oeil, Petit and Gros Manseng, Prunelard… all while working with the more “classic” grape varieties namely Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sémillon and Sauvignon… in total there are more than 300 grape varieties that coexist in this region, including more than 120 indigenous grape varieties.
Four major wine-growing areas to discover
Geographically we generally define it as including the vineyards of Dordogne, Gaillac and surrounding areas, Gers and Irouléguy in the Basque Country.
The Dordogne - gourmandise and freshness on limestone clay
The Dordogne and its vineyards revolve around Bergerac on soils and climates similar to those of eastern Bordeaux: clays on limestone on which we find the very unique expressions of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc.
The natural wines made from these grape varieties have delicious and digestible profiles with notes of ripe black fruits, cherry and tobacco. There are also natural white wines mainly from Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Also note the presence of some vintages of natural sparkling wines such as the Splash! vintage from the Barrouillet estate where Vincent Alexis and Romuald Cousy work the Sémillon.
Irouléguy - the mountain elegance of the Basque Country
To the south, bordering the Spanish border, we can observe the small vineyard of Irouléguy established on only 240 hectares. A rapidly expanding appellation which places emphasis on Tannat, an indigenous grape variety which, as its name suggests, produces a fairly tannic structure. The “Haitza” vintage vinified naturally by Théo and Iban Riouspeyrous for the Arretxea estate is the perfect illustration of this: 80% Tannat blended with 20% Cabernet Franc for a vintage with aging potential obviously but full of elegance and black fruits . (Don't forget that Cabernet Franc comes to us from the ancient vineyard of Txakoli, in the Spanish Basque Country!)
There are also natural white wines which benefit from the cool altitude climate to offer wines between liveliness and volume made naturally from Petit & Gros Manseng and Petit Courbu.
Jurançon - tension and softness at altitude
In the Jurançon vineyard for example, where Antoine Arraou of Château Lafitte offers us these grape varieties in his dry Jurançon and sweet Jurançon cuvées where the tension of these two grape varieties is revealed in an aroma of white fruits and wild flowers.
Gaillac and Fronton - the natural succession around Toulouse
When we approach the city of Toulouse, in Haute-Garonne, we find the vineyards of Gaillac and Fronton. Wine-growing areas that are still discreet but are actively present in the development of natural wines like Mélanie Kröber who works with Mauzac and Loin de l'Oeil, local endemic grape varieties which call for delicacy and lightness with her vintage “Compromise”.
To discover a wider selection of natural wines from the South-West, visit Vinograf.
