Jean Guirouilh’s family has been making wine in the Jurançon since the 1700s. They farm 24 acres of vines on the hillsides above the village of Lasseube and, for this wine, harvested the grapes in late October. It’s three parts gros manseng to one part petit, fermented with a slow start in their cold cellar, where they hold the wine in stainless steel vats without temperature control until spring. Then they stop the fermentation to retain 85 grams of residual sugar in the wine. That sweetness gives a buxom weight and a honeycomb matrix of flavors ranging from green, almost riesling-ish fruit to papaya and pineapple. It feels airy and sweet on the finish, like a meringue. Pour it alongside a washed-rind cheese so stinky your date might leave the restaurant. Their loss.
95
Clos Guirouilh 2015 Jurançon
$35
Every week, our editors highlight a wine that intrigued them in our blind panel tastings, expanding on their tasting note in this space. These are entirely editorial choices; there are no paid placements. Subscribers can also access the original tasting note by searching here.
Corey Warren is the Tastings Editor in addition to covering the wines of the Loire, Southern France, Argentina and South Africa.
Related Stories:
This story appears in the print issue of June 2021.
Like what you read? Subscribe today.
