Hi Everyone,
Sitting at dinner last night recapping a full day of French tasting, we were hard-pressed to find any new discovery more compelling than Marie Maria’s Pacherenc du Vic Bilh Sec.
Say what?
Yes, Pacherenc du Vic Bilh.
Sec.
Say that with a mouthful of marbles after a few drinks…
What is this stuff exactly, you ask?
Well…
In the local language (Bearnaise), “Pacherenc” means “vines on sticks” and “Vic Bilh” means “old country.” In a nutshell, this cooler climate region has such high humidity (think of Valpolicella’s landscape, swapping the Pyrenees for the Alps and you won’t be far off), that you need to grow your grapes WAY above the ground (on tall sticks) to avoid botrytis formation. The whole area is timeless/traditional to the extreme (visualize most men in basque style berets), and thus you get this “old country” component in the name.
Gros Manseng and Petit Manseng make up the majority composition of wines from Pacherenc du Vic Bilh, with another local varietal called Arruflac sometimes added for floral lift, but thankfully not in today’s example (Arruflac can be an overpowering vibe wrecker, especially in serious examples like today’s wine). Lees aging is unusually long (12 months is pretty standard) as is the use of very old barrels. Today’s pick was raised in this way. Sweet versions of this category used to be all the rage here making up 80% of production, but today about 65% of the production in Pacherenc is dry, as is the case with today’s wine.
Always also a cult hit with the UK press, Marie Maria’s 2023 release was no exception:
“This Plaimont classic shows yet another vintage marked by elegant savouriness, delicious texture and great ageing potential. Expressive and assertive on the mid-palate, with ample, fleshy flavours of honey-glazed almonds, russet apples and pear peel. A perfect companion for cheese platters.” – 93 points, Decanter
So, yes, vigneronne Marie Maria is releasing this at an unusually young age for the category, but we won’t complain about that – It is in a beautiful drinking zone right now.
If you were a fan of the “Yura” Jurancon you will freak for this, and take note that it is from the same association of local winegrowers who band together as one in the name of collective sales and promotion.
Thank you!
