70% Tannat, 30% Cabernet Franc

Tannat is the grape of Madiran, and it is not an easy-going varietal by any stretch. It has thick skins, is very late-ripening and very tannic. It is hand-harvested because machine harvesters cannot shake these stubborn grapes off the vine, and typically needs a good amount of time to mellow out.

VINIFICATION   All parcels and grapes are vinified separately. A long maceration of about 25 days average enables an optimal extraction of fruit, tannins and color.

AGING  After blending, the wine is aged for 15 months, half in tank and half in 400L neutral oak barrels.

The Laplace family is recognized as the leading quality producers of Madiran today. They are the owners of Château d'Aydie and descendents of Frédéric Laplace, the founding father of Madiran. Frédéric was the first, pioneering winemaker to bottle and sell his Madiran wine under his own name when the appellation was first created in 1948. At the time, there were only 50 hectares of vineyard under production. This area has steadily increased to 1,650 total hectares which now produce Madiran wines.