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SOUTH WEST<br />
– WINE ROUTE –<br />
Mixed farming was long the norm at Château Bouscassé,<br />
before vines became the primary crop<br />
may well be one of France’s 5 largest co-operative<br />
wineries for still wines, producing 30 to 35 million<br />
bottles a year, it is not about to forget its roots or the<br />
personality of its winegrowers. Founded more than forty<br />
years ago, the co-operative group mainly extends over the<br />
Gers department and a few neighbouring departments.<br />
It currently has 5 main wineries and a dozen chateaux<br />
spread over the Côtes de Gascogne, Saint-Mont, Madiran<br />
and Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh appellation areas. In all,<br />
nearly 800 winegrower families craft the character of<br />
Plaimont wines, placing particular emphasis on local<br />
grape varieties, suited to the vineyard sites and weather<br />
in the foothills of the Pyrenees. International varieties are<br />
grown but remain in the minority and are mostly used to<br />
enhance local cultivars. Yes, there is Sauvignon, but it is<br />
blended with Colombard; Merlot, in small quantities, is<br />
blended with Tannat. The Echo Indigo label, named after<br />
the plant native to the region producing vibrant blue<br />
dyes, is one such blend.<br />
But the co-operative group’s primary strength is its ability<br />
to supply big brands, whilst at the same time tailoring<br />
bespoke labels, mastering micro-batch winemaking and<br />
single vineyard selection to perfection, as evidenced<br />
by its pre-phylloxera wine. Made from Tannat vines<br />
over 200 years old planted on fawn sands that survived<br />
phylloxera and have come down through the centuries,<br />
only a few thousand bottles are made and utmost care<br />
and attention is lavished on them. Visitors to Plaimont<br />
can see this attention to detail themselves by following<br />
the guided tours held in each of the wineries. Unless, that<br />
is, they prefer to slip into the shoes of a winemaker for a<br />
few hours and indulge in a bit of blending.<br />
The influence of the mountains and the Pyrenean foothills are<br />
encapsulated in the wines of Alain Brumont, who claims to make<br />
‘landscape’ wines<br />
STAGE 5: MADIRAN<br />
MADIRAN, THE REALMS OF ALAIN BRUMONT<br />
No stop to Madiran would be complete with a mention<br />
of Alain Brumont. For nearly 40 years, he has been<br />
taking Tannat to new heights, producing wines that are<br />
18 SPRING 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE
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