Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh

Madiran's white wine twin - indigenous Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng create both dry and sweet whites from the Pyrenean foothills.

Grapes Gros Manseng Arrufiac Courbu

History

Dutch merchants bought these wines via the Adour river and Bayonne port from 16th-18th centuries. Phylloxera devastated the region. Dr. Pierre Doléris, a local physician and wine advocate, was instrumental in obtaining AOC status in 1948, preserving traditions at risk of disappearing. Today vineyards are just one-tenth of their 19th-century extent.

At a glance

Climate: Atlantic-Pyrenean; warm autumns with föhn winds perfect for late harvest; clay-limestone over galets roulés (rolled pebbles)
Signature wines: Château Laffitte-Teston Cuvée Ericka (Sec) - 8 generations, 50 hectares, 37 gold medals at Concours Général Agricole Paris; most awarded producer in appellation. Also: Domaine Labranche Laffont. Price: $15-35.
What sets it apart: AOC 1948 alongside Madiran; Gascon name for vine training; 8-generation family estates; Dr. Doléris saved the tradition; same terroir as Tannat but for whites

AOC 1948 (same year as Madiran)
name means "posts in a row" (pachets en renc) in Gascon - describing trellising
vineyards just 10% of pre-phylloxera extent
Dr. Pierre Doléris championed the AOC to preserve tradition