This episode is the South West’s structural spine: tannin in Madiran, acidity in Jurançon, and volume-driven freshness in IGP.
Madiran is Tannat-led and built for longevity. Atlantic influence brings about 1,000 mm rainfall, mostly in late winter and spring, while warm summers and dry autumns—helped by the hot, dry Föhn wind—allow Tannat to ripen. Clay-limestone slope sites with good drainage produce the most ageworthy, tannic wines; flatter clay and loam sites give softer, earlier drinking styles. Madiran AOC must be at least 50% Tannat (often much higher; top wines 85–100%), destemming is mandatory, and producers have long looked for ways to soften tannins—shorter macerations, oak and bottle age, and since 1991, micro-oxygenation. Release is controlled too: wines can only be sold from November in the year after harvest.
Jurançon flips the script: sweet wines dominate, driven by high rainfall (about 1,200 mm), slopes for drainage, and the Pyrenees’ Föhn wind, which dries and warms the air and helps passerillage for late-harvest sweetness. Petit Manseng’s thick skins and open bunches resist botrytis and retain high acidity—perfect for balanced sweet wines—while Gros Manseng is higher yielding and mainly supports dry styles. Rules are precise: Jurançon (minimum 40 g/L RS), Vendanges Tardives (minimum 55 g/L RS, no enrichment, not picked before 2 November, max 40 hL/ha), and Sec (dry, max 60 hL/ha). Many top sweet wines ferment and age in barriques (often old oak) for 12–18 months, adding complexity and cost.
Finally, IGP Côtes de Gascogne shows the region’s export logic: varietal-labelled, fruity whites built on Colombard (neutral, fresh acidity), plus Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, sold at inexpensive to mid-price and once hugely export-driven—now facing global competition from similar styles.
