orth
of the Pyrenees, in the heart of the Madiran appellation, located on the borders
of the Pyrénées Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées and
Gers departments, the Barré family have been farming their vineyards
since 1850.
•
Two different soils types can be found on the estate which are typical of
the appellation : to the west of the village, a stony clay plateau, facing
south, overlooking the Pyrenees, and to the east, a south-easterly slope with
a clay-gravel-marl soil.
• This
makes up most of the 53 acres of Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée
vines, aged between 10 and a 100 years old, that Didier Barré farms,
following in the footsteps of the previous five generations of his family
that have done likewise. The vines are trained in “demi-hautain”,
medium-high vines trained on wires. Most of the vines are pruned using the
“guyot simple” method.
• The late autumn sun brings the different
grape varieties to perfect maturity. The grapes are hand-picked and in general
the harvest begins in early October for the red wines and finishes in the
middle of December for the late-harvested white wines.
• Didier Barré has managed to keep the
tight-knit tannic structure and power of his Madiran wines, whilst stitching
in a silky thread of sweet tannins and bringing a more immediate elegance
to these mighty Pyrenean wines.
• They make a
perfect companion for dishes of game, roasted red meats or meats in a rich
sauce, duck confit or duck breasts, and should be opened in advance and
served at a temperature between 17° and 19° C.
• The Pacherenc, however, should be served chilled. The sweet version
marries well with foie gras or local sheep’s cheese, whereas the dry
Pacherenc matches fish and seafood dishes.
