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Wine Tasting Adventure

2022 Domaine Cauhapé, `Symphonie de Novembre` Jurançon Moelleux - Liberty

£17.49 GBP
£17.49 GBP

In 1970, winemaker and label artist Henri Ramonteu took over his family’s cattle farm in the Jurançon village of Monein. He sold the cattle, purchased four hectares of vines and founded Domaine Cauhapé, making his first sweet wines in 1980 (as is traditional in Jurançon), followed by dry wines in 1984. Today, the domaine is regarded as one of the appellation's finest producers.

Domaine Cauhapé comprises 54 hectares of sustainably farmed vineyards, planted on south/south-east-facing slopes, at an elevation of 450 metres, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The soils are siliceous clay, which offers excellent water retention and prevents vines from shutting down during the hot, dry summer months. The vineyards are planted with Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng and Courbu, as well as lesser-known indigenous varieties such as Lauzet and Camaralet.

Domaine Cauhapé makes classical expressions of Jurançon, showcasing the best of what this region has to offer. The dry wines complement each other with differing styles. Blending Gros Manseng with Lauzet, ‘L'Éclipse’ is rounded and fleshy thanks to spending five months ageing on its lees. Conversely, the ‘Chant des Vignes’Jurançon Sec, made with Gros Manseng and Camaralet, is remarkably fresh with an intensely elegant, dry palate of honey and ripe stone fruits, enhanced by stainless steel fermentation.

Jurançon is famed for its sweet wines, and Domaine Cauhapé produces beautiful examples made from 100% Petit Manseng. The wines are sweet and decadent while also beautifully balanced, thanks to the grape variety's naturally high acidity. The 'Symphonie de Novembre' is made with grapes that undergo ‘passerillage’), remaining on the vine until November to dry and concentrate their sugars without being affected by noble rot. The wine is aged for 10 months in oak barrel and spends the last six months in tank before bottling. The result is a complex sweet wine with aromas of honey and toasted sweet spices. The 'Ballet d'Octobre' is made with late-harvested grapes picked and aged for a total of eight months in oak before bottling. Sweet and fruit-forward, it is bursting with notes of passionfruit and lychee.

Domaine Cauhapé owns 43 hectares of vines. This is a real stronghold in Jurançon, given that the entire appellation totals only 1,000 hectares. Planted in the foothills of the Pyrenees, the vineyards are south and south-east facing and are situated up to 400 metres above sea level, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly and retain good levels of acidity. The vines are on average 10 years old, sustainably farmed and are planted on siliceous-clay soils, which have excellent water retention for the hotter, summer months. The Petit Manseng grapes remain on the vine until November, allowing them to dry and shrivel, thereby concentrating the sugars. Whole bunches are hand picked and yields are extremely low at only 28 hectolitres per hectare.

The 2022 vintage was characterised by a hot and dry growing season. The warm temperatures throughout the summer months provided an excellent ripening season for the grapes, resulting in a harvest of excellent quality.

Petit Manseng grapes were hand harvested in small volume crates in mid-November. They were whole bunch pressed into 225 litre barriques, followed by fermentation in one and two-year-old barrels. The wine was then aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.

On the nose, this wine has a perfect blend of exotic and citrus fruits, delightfully integrated with toasted sweet spices. The palate is smooth and aromatic, with ripe fruit flavours and delicious notes of pineapple, quince, and chestnut, to create a complex and delicate wine.