Southwest Wine Region:
Domaine Berthoumieu Madiran
One of the most exciting winemaking regions in Southwestern France is Madiran, located within the gently rolling hills of Vic-Bihl -- local patois or dialect for old country. The rolling countryside of this sleepy area inhabits the corners of three French départments: the Gers, the Pyrénées Atlantique and the Haut Pyrénées.
Madiran is situated on the Southern border of the Armagnac region, about 40 kilometers north of Pau and Tarbes, and consists of vineyards covering nearly 1,400 hectares. The region is subject to a climactic influence which is essentially oceanic: relatively mild winters, hot, stormy summers, and dry, very sunny autumns that normally allow full maturation of the grapes. Soils are, in general, a mixture of clay and limestone, or clay and small stones.
 While excellent dry and sweet white wine is produced and released as Pacherenc de Vic Bilh, red wine is truly King within the region. Historically, Madiran was viewed as a classic rustic wine whose course tannins helped cut through the hearty, somewhat fatty local cuisine like duck, goose or cassoulet. It was closed and tannic when young, but, after five years of development, supposedly began to develop. Develop, that is, into something heavy, earthy, and monolithic! Understandably, the wines were rarely exported or even known outside the area.
Since the beginning of the 1980s, however, several changes have taken place in the region that have led to worldwide renown of Madiran.
- An increased proportion of Tannat grapes.
- Lowering the yield of the Tannat grapes.
- An increased macération time for the grapes, most particularly the Tannat.
- The usage of new oak barrels to age the wine.
Along with this comes the realization that inevitably the wine will be drunk at a younger age than in the past and therefore must be accessible when young.
Madiran vineyards and the Pyrenees, Winter 2007
A quarter of the wines in the region are aged in oak barrels. The shift to aging in new oak has certainly modernized the Madiran taste by rounding out the tannins and adding a tremendous dimension of flavor (vanilla, oak, and spices.) The decision to age in these containers, like in so many regions of the world, has also helped to create what is now viewed as a more modern Madiran.
Most of Madiran's originality, however, comes from the Tannat grape which is the basic varietal around which Madiran is constructed. It normally comprises 60-80% of the blend, and occasionally makes up 100% of the juice. Tannat gives the wine both good balance and originality, as well as a potent aroma and mouth-filling richness. In its youth, Tannat possesses aromas of red and black fruits (cassis, blackberry, raspberry), and acourse texture caused by an amplitude of rough tannins. With time, these tannins round out while developing nuances of spices, coffee, cocoa, and vanilla slowly emerge.
Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are used almost interchangeably in the Madiran region, and at times comprise up to 40% of the blend. They produce a supple and elegant wine that provides an aromatic supplement to the low-register notes of Tannat.
Domaine Berthoumieu is owned by Didier Barré, who took over for his father Louis in the mid-eighties. Didier was one of many young winemakers at this time greatly inspired by Alain Brumont of Domaine Bouscasse/Chateau Montus fame, who could be called the founder of modern Madiran.
Didier Barré
Didier attended enology school in Bordeaux and immediately upon taking over the domaine, lowered the yields in the vineyard and began aging his wines with a judicious amount of oak. Along with Jean-Marc Laffitte, Patrick Ducournau, and Guy Capmartin, Barré formed part of a new band of Mousquetaires, fitting as the birthplace of D'Artagnan is just a few towns away.
Barré has 24 hectares of vineyard, upon which is planted Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Fer Servadou (one of the the three regions in the Southwest that plant this grape.) While Barré also made very good sweet and dry white wines under the appellation Pacherenc du Vic Bilh, his main focus is his red wines.
His top red wine is the cuvée Charles de Batz, which was the original name of d'Artignan. The wine is composed of 90% Tannat with 10% Cabernet Sauvignon from vines that are at least 50 years old. The soil in these vineyards is clay and limestone with some round stones at the surface.
A green harvest is done during the summer to limit the yields to around three tons an acre. Harvest takes place late at Berthoumieu, normally around the beginning of October, completely by hand. After being completely destemmed, the Cabernet and Tannat are fermented separately, in cement tanks. During this time, a bit of micro-oxygénation or microboullage takes place. Afterwards, the wine goes into oak (60%) in an underground cellar where it also undergoes malolactic fermentation. After twelve months in wood, it is blended and bottled after a very light filtration.
Charles de Batz tasting note: Very ripe, rich Madiran that takes no prisoners. This wine succeeds in obtaining more fruit than tannin! The color is nearly opaque - - it doesn't get much darker than this. It displays notes of black fruit (blackcurrant and blackberry) along with just a hint of red fruit. There is a cedar-like creaminess to the oak which is extremely well-integrated. Tannins pick up on the finish but, let's face it, this is Madiran and that is to be expected. These tannins disolve when the wine is matched with richly flavored meats like leg of lamb, duck, goose or game.
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