You might be wondering what Jazz and wine have in common? Well, located down in the south west of France is the picturesque town of Marciac. During August, Marciac plays host to one of the world’s leading Jazz festivals. Producteurs Plaimont are key partners in this event, so when we were asked if we would like to take some on trade customers down for the weekend, it was an offer we could not refuse.
Arriving in Biarritz we then headed south east for the two hour drive to our accommodation for the weekend. For those that know the Gascony area, the first impression is just how stunning the area is, an expanse of green rolling hills against the imposing, yet impressive backdrop of the Pyrenees.
That evening we had a great dinner at the impressive Café Zik overlooking the lake at Marciac. For most of the party, this was their first proper introduction to the wines of the area, Saint-Mont and Madiran in particular and also the main red grape Tannat. Tannat is an interesting starting point and the centre of much research. This area has the highest life expectancy in France and credible research as the reasons why has pointed to the high levels of natural anti-oxidants found in this grape. The wine highlight of the dinner was Plaimont’s top cuvée of Le Faite. The first thing that strikes you is the label as Plaimont has revived a long lost tradition. In times gone by many wines were buried in the ground to preserve them. So to label the wines, their details were carved into wooden plaques which were then hung around the bottle necks. The corks were also sealed with wax to help preserve the wine.
Sunday started with a visit to the see some vineyards in Madiran and Pacherenc with local grower Frédéric Richevaux. Pacherenc for me is one of the best kept secrets of the area, a wonderful pudding wine that has the most wonderful balance of richness and acidity. Tradition dictates that the grapes are harvested on the 15th November, St Albert’s day in France.
Next we went onto Château Projan, beautifully and indeed stylishly restored by a Swiss architect. This was the perfect setting for the main tasting of the weekend. The highlight for me was the Pacherenc, Barrique d’Or, where the top 10 barrels of each vintage are selected and then auctioned. I was also very impressed with the whites of the region as they represent a style that is very much in demand at the moment – great aromatic fruits with a creamy texture. It was also our first chance to try a new range of wines from Saint-Mont called L’Empriente. A white blend of mainly Gros Manseng (75%), Petit Marseng (10%) and Petit Corbu (15%). The red is mainly Tannat (80%) with Pinenc (10%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (10%). Both wines were very impressive, most of all their approachable style. The white was creamy, but very well balanced with citrus and lemon fruits. The red was again very well balanced with ripe red berries against a backdrop of warming spices. Impressive stuff.
In the afternoon we met Oliver, the Technical Director for Plaimont for what turned out to be a fascinating afternoon. Some years back Plaimont identified a small parcel vines that on further inspection were pre-phylloxera, the disease that had destroyed most of the vineyards in Europe in the late 19th century. It is thought that the high levels of sand found in the soils at this parcel might explain why these particular vines survived. Using modern science the team at Plaimont have DNA tested and observed these vines and have discovered a series of previously unknown varieties. This has resulted in a very exciting project to explore these varieties further. So a little further down the road an experimentation vineyard has been set up to grow these vines to really see what their individual attributes are. One potential revelation is a variety that has a very low alcohol levels. Watch this space.
A wonderful weekend was rounded off with dinner in the picturesque postcard town of Bassoues. It was here that perhaps the most memorable moment of the weekend occurred. An English family sitting close to us had ordered a fruit salad, only to be presented a bowl containing an unpeeled banana and an apple. Now called the salade Marciac, expect to see this on a menu near you soon! Oh, and yes we then went on to hear a little jazz…
Our sincerest thanks must go to Plaimont, in particular Fanny and Charlotte for being the perfect hosts. We would also like to thank the C&B guests for take time out of their weekends. The guest line up included Andrei from Lussmanns Restaurants (www.lussmanns.com), Scott and Maria from the Princess of Shoreditch (www.theprincessofshoreditch.com), Laura from EXP Sport (www.expsport.co.uk) and James from Middleton Lodge (www.middletonlodge.co.uk). The supporting acts from C&B were, Rebecca, James, Giles, Dan and Guy.
