Wines from Madiran

The Madiran wine region covers parts of Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantic in the South West of France, with a total vineyard covering of approximately 1,300 hectares. Madiran is the AOC for red, 2 white AOCs are Pacherenc and Jurancon. For red wines, the local Tannat must be at least 60% of any blend, with the local Fers, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and sometimes Merlot grapes used to make up the remainder. With its Bordelais varietal mix and style, these are full bodied, powerful reds that  historically have high tannins and as such can take several years to soften. A new generation of winemakers are using techniques such as micro-oxygenation to soften the wines ahead of bottling.