Grape Variety: Gros Manseng

Colour: White

Jurançon, in the foothills of the Atlantic Pyrenees, is the true home of the Gros Manseng grape. The distinguishing characteristic of this variety is its scything acidity, and it is not fanciful to perceive the purity and freshness as part and parcel of its mountain environment. For all that Jurancon has a long growing season and is one of the sunniest wine growing climates in France. This enables the grapes to reach maturity and acquire aromatic ripe citrus flavours.

Jean-Bernard Larrieu makes a variety of different expressions of Manseng at his estate Clos Lapeyre in the commune of La Chapelle de Rousse. His straight Jurançon sec is 100% Gros Manseng, an attractive wine with suggestions of acacia blossom on the nose followed by pink grapefruit.  The wine’s acidity ricochets around all corners of the tongue. This should work well with smoked fish (particularly eel) and goat’s cheese. Vitatge Vielh de Lapeyre is a special blend , a selection of old vines where the Gros Manseng is partnered with its noble relative Petit Manseng and as well as the Gascon Courbu grape, to create a unique, satisfyingly complex wine. Match this fine wine to wild salmon. Before dry wines became the vogue all Jurançon was moelleux (mellow), and Jean-Bernard’s Jurançon, is typical of the style. Composed of 80% Gros Manseng and 20% Petit Manseng, it exhibits lovely supple pineapple fruit in abundance. This would be perfect with foie gras or Roquefort or as an aperitif. Gros Manseng is also the principal white grape variety used in the rarely-seen whites from Irouléguy in the Pyrenees. The Cave de Pays Basque produces a couple of reckonable examples, called Anda Rena and Xuri Dansa respectively.  In both cases Gros Manseng is blended with Petit Manseng and Courbu, yielding electrifying wines that are tense with acidity and display a fine citrus character with wildflowers, gunflint and crystallised lemons.