Clos Cancaillaü "Au Lavoir" Jurançon Sec, Sud-Ouest, France 2023

FROM FRANCE + WESTERN:

THE WINE: 100% Gros Manseng. Hand-picked. Gentle pneumatic pressing, temperature controlled fermentation followed by 2 months stirring on the lees. Aged in concrete and stainless steel vats.

THE PRODUCER: Along with Henri Jayer, Domaine Huët, and Billecart Salmon, storied importer Robert Chadderdon also discovered the legendary Jurançon of Domaine Barrère, which he began importing under the label of Anne-Marie and her sister Christiane’s father, “Alfred Barrère, Proprietaire Viticulteur.”

Now in her eighth decade, Anne-Marie still tends vines roughly her age, while her 94-year-old maman looks after their kitchen garden. Planted in 1945, their 3-hectare “Clos de la Vierge” is planted exclusively to Gros Manseng to produce fabulous dry Jurançon Sec, while their “Clos Cancaillaü” has both Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng and offers a range of dry and doux bottlings, most notably their “Le Dernier Carré” and “Crème de Tête.”