• This wine comes from a 3-acre vineyard of the same name planted in the forties with a mix of three grape varieties : Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng and a little Courbu.
After being slowly pressed then left to settle, the musts are fermented in barrels of 2 to 4 wines. Ageing with regular lees-stirring lasts for a year in barrels and then 6 months in tanks before the wine is bottled in the following Spring.
• For a few years now, when the potential alcohol of the Petit Manseng grapes is not too high, some of them are fermented dry and incorporated into this blend.

“The dry Jurancons from this producers are quite seductive… As far as this Vitatge Vielh wine is concerned, its shows off a deep yellow hue and has strong aromas of dried and candied fruits, gingerbread and acacia honey. The first impression is of a fresh wine which fills the mouth with a fat, well-structured weightiness. Perfect balance is achieved between a well dosed acidity and a lingering, rich sappiness.”

Taken from the Hachette wine guide 2002



• Since 2001, this has been the new name for the Sélection cuvee. La Magendia, is the pre-eminence (cf. Simin Palay’s Bearnese dictionary) of the shrivelled grapes of Petit Manseng.
• These grapes are harvested in November, in two, three or four successive pickings, the last of which can sometimes last into December. The golden and russet grapes have by then shrivelled up partly, losing some of their water and concentrating their other elements, especially sugar and acidity : this is the mysterious process called passerillage.
• The grapes are then pressed very slowly, the juices being very difficult to extract. Fermentation takes place in barrels, some new, and can last between 2 and 3 months, followed by 12 to 18 months of barrel-ageing.

“… this sweet wine is brilliant with a pronounced golden tinge. The nose lines up intense notes of toast and coffee, with candied tropical fruits, whilst on the palate it is both fresh and generous, releasing complex flavours which are starting to show finesse. A real treat to be savoured. A lovely bottle ready to be laid down.”

Taken from the Hachette wine guide 2003

Ideal with foie gras, Pyrenean sheeps’ cheese, Bearnaise chitterlings, Roquefort, …


• The Vent Balaguèr is the name, in occitan, of the southerly wind which comes up over the Pyrenees from Spain. The label for this wine is a reproduction of a painting by Chahab (famous Iranian artist living in Bearn) who painted the theme: heat and wind.

• To produce the wine Vent Balaguèr, we give Nature a helping hand. The Petit Manseng grapes are harvested when over-ripe and then put into wooden trays which are left outside in the sun or brought into the winery when wet and rainy to finish off the passerillage.


• The grapes slowly change colour from a golden yellow to a russet brown. The taste changes too, with notes of apricot, dried orange peel and medlar appearing. We estimate that we then need 3 to 4kg of grapes to produce a litre of juice, instead of the usual 1.5kg.