2021 Domaine Laougue Madiran 19.10
Regular price $21.98
91 Wine Enthusiast -Â A wine with power and concentration, this has rich tannins and dense black fruits. The acidity keeps the wine fruity, fresh and still young.
80% Tannat, 20% Cabernet Franc
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Tucked into the foothills of the Pyrenees, Madiran is a hidden gem of a winemaking region that produces red, white, and sweet wines. This high-altitude area features unspoiled nature and a unique heritage, and the wines that come from here couldn't be from anywhere else in France or the world.
It is here, lying between Gers, the Hautes-Pyrennes, and the Pyrennes Atlantiques departments, that the Dabadie family has maintained a patchwork of vineyards for five generations since 1904. Polyculture is common in this part of the country, and mixed farming was carried out into the 1980s. When Pierre Dabadie, the fourth generation, took over the estate, he decided to specialize in wine production, creating Domaine Laougue, extending the vineyards, and building a new cellar. He also steered the house toward more modern growing and winemaking methods, crafting nuanced and restrained wines that don't need extended aging while showing the estate's terroir and style. Pierre's son, Sylvain, now runs the estate with the goal of propelling this region and its grapes to higher levels of recognition.
Currently comprised of 30 hectares, Domaine Laougue's vineyards are planted on hillsides, some extremely steep. Varied soil types bring out different characteristics of the grapes in the middle and lower slopes are clay-loam with small pebbles, the parcels directly around the winery face southeast and produce lighter wines, and the higher elevation slopes are a unique spot in Madiran where the soil is very shallow with underlying red clay that gives those wines more structure. The Atlantic Ocean heavily influences the region, which brings temperate winters, hot summers, early-season rainfall, and ample sunlight.
The wines of Domaine Laougue are innovative, pairing modernity with tradition and centering their expression of terroir. In a region where half of the wines are made by co-ops, this focus is notable, particularly Sylvain's dedication to single-vineyard bottlings. Unlike many of the reds from this region, Sylvain crafts wines that, while they can and will improve with age, are simultaneously approachable upon release.
