Madiran French wine appellation guide: location, history, wines, climate & soil
Madiran is a southwest France appellation famous for powerful, deeply coloured red wines from the Tannat grape, among the most tannic and long-lived wines in France.
More info about Madiran
Geographic position
Southwestern France, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, across the Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments, north of Pau and around the village of Madiran in the heart of Gascony.
Origin & history
Benedictine monks founded a priory at Madiran in the 11th century and developed the vineyards, and the wine was popular with pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela. Nearly abandoned after phylloxera, the vineyard was revived after the Second World War. The AOC was created in 1948, and in 1990 local winemaker Patrick Ducourneau invented micro-oxygenation here to soften Tannat's tannins.
Wines & grape varieties
Red wine only, from Tannat (at least 60%) with Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Fer Servadou. Expect blackberry, plum, liquorice, cocoa, spice and firm tannins; the best wines age for 10 to 20 years.
Climate & soil
Oceanic climate with warm, dry autumns. Clay-limestone, clay-gravel and sandy-silt soils on rolling hills.
Wine region: Sud-Ouest
Grape varieties: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat