Basking with an old Basque

As we are on to tannats, here is one I have kept for years, an Irouleguy from the Basque country in the south-west of France. Patience certainly pays when it comes to good wines, and this one has aged very well since buying it in some shop near Pau in 1997. We were at  wedding and it was one of the local wines we came across, thanks mainly to an English chap and his French wife who were swishing it around in the hotel restaurant. It was a Domaine de Mignaberry, which seemed quite tanic but a little less gummy than some other cheapish local offerings. I bought one bottle in the nearby shop, a 1996. As the French lady happened to be an aquaintance of my own French wife, I decided to keep it till we all next met. Well, we haven’t had the opportunity and my patience finally ran out (or rather my curiosity took the better of me). So, eleven years later (last night) we opened it. Patience rewarded: medium rich, calm, supple, some fruit still and softly tannic. Perfect with a melted Mont d’Or cheese and some baby potatoes and fried buttered mushrooms; not a confit, but fitting nonetheless. I wouldn’t hunt high and low for Domaine de Mignaberry, but I take my hat off to smaller wines that yield up such pleasure after so long lying down (beyond the recommended six years).  There are three factors at play here, apart from that little bit of luck that all wines need: first of all, the domaine itself, which  not only clearly works the 80% tannat and the oak with mastery, but also deftly rams in a cork that is up to the job (so many good wines are let down by forgetting this “coup de grace”); a second factor is our cellar, which though in Paris is away from metro lines and elevator shafts, and continually performs wonders for us; and the third is, well, it must be the tannat. It seems to melt in better than cabernet sauvignon or merlot, rather as duck fat to butter. 

The one downer was that as the wine breathed glass by glass, it began to wane like a flower. It also developed a slightly bitter sharp flavour. This waning happens to older wines, but it seems to happen more to the large tannic types. They open well, punch good and strong by about the middle of the bottle, and then ease off. A good Burgundy on the other hand tends to go the other way, with a kaleidescope of myriad flavours racing around even faster in all directions by the last third. I don’t think the infamous Robert Parker ever quite got that point, or perhaps as a marketing man he did, knowing that customers are impatient and the big sells would punch big right from the start. If you have the patience to wait a few years, and lying down a wine while waiting for a friend helps as an incentive, then that early punch will be all the richer. Anyway, despite the fading, 14/20 for this wise old Irouleguy from Domaine de Mignaberry, from Saint Etienne de Baïgorry.

©RJ Doyle

Madiran madhatters?

I notice alot of interest in Madiran and SW France wines out there.  I even write about them from time to time. Researchers claim they are good for the heart, and correspond to regions with good male longevity. Darby’s comment on my Pellehaut article even suggests Uruguay as a good source of Tannat rich wine, with its magic artery friendly ingredient, procyanidins. Most interesting and no doubt all true. But let’s be wary of over-marketing or jumping to conclusions: first, life expectancy is high in other parts of France without the Tannat, which suggests something else at play, eg general diet, moderation, and other good wines; second, trade figures show the Japanese prefer Burgundy (even at times when the Yen was low they raised their orders!) and have low heart disease. One Madiran convert even suggests quitting bland Burgundies. Absurd, really, for though I agree, there are bland Burgundies, there are also far more excellent Burgundies for the reasonable prices, eg 10-20 euros from the Beaune region or Côte Chalonnaise, and stupendous First Growths (Premier Cru) for just over 20; third, while a great drink, good Madirans are to good Burgundies what a fun Renault Clio is to a Renault Espace; and finally, not sure about Madirans, but compared to Bordeaux, Burgundies I am convinced are an aphrodisiac, which is also probably good for the heart! Maybe a good idea is to mix them all. Santé.