Producteurs Plaimont

Situated in the heart of South-West France, the Plaimont vineyards stretch from the foothills of the Pyrenees to the hills and valleys of Gascony covering a uniquely rich terroir. A thousand winegrowers defend the ideals of a cooperative and are committed to managing their vineyards with respect for both the environment and their own time-honoured traditions. With a combination of local grape varieties, knowledge and rigorous hard work, the members of Plaimont have succeeded in producing extremely high quality wines from the terroirs of Madiran, Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh, Saint Mont and Côtes de Gascogne.

Initially pale in colour and tinged with green, but with age moving towards a more golden, slightly silvery hue, A rich, crisp attack with an explosion of citrus fruit, litchi and gunflint on the nose. Its youthful aromatic exuberance (tropical fruit) gives way to a greater complexity of of mineral notes with a noble touch of undergrowth

This Saint-Mont's ultra-premium wine is great with shellfish and fish carpaccio when young. However, after several years of ageing, it is a perfect match to subtly-flavoured white meats and mature cheeses

The vinification process mainly takes place in tank and starts with cold skin-contact maceration of the grape harvested in the morning (a period of 8-12 hours for the Gros Manseng, and Petit Manseng and 2-4 hours for the Petit Courbu). Slow pneumatic pressing (juices from the final press are not included) maintains the purity of the free-run wine. Alcoholic fermentation takes place at 19°C following light settling. Ageing: A 6 months period of lees contact is made for the tanks and lees stirring for the barrels. The lees contact plays a determining role for the construction of the mid-palate of this cuvee and also improves its capacity for bottle-ageing.

The 100 best value wines in UK, March 2024: 'Top scoring wine in our recent tasting – this hidden gem is made from the two Mansengs – Petit and Gros. This blend of rare native South West France grapes has a subtle combination of richness, poised ripe tangy citrus fruit, underlying crisp minerally acidity and smooth soft texture. No label on the bottle also adds to the attraction – just an inscribed wooden plank is tied to the neck of the bottle'. Rose Murray Brown MW