Located in southwest France, Jurançon is a small, hilly wine appellation known for its aromatic white wines. The vineyards are located around the town of Jurançon, near Pau, on the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Jurançon is mainly made from two local grape varieties: petit manseng and gros manseng. Both are naturally aromatic varieties with high acidity. This natural freshness allows the wines to remain lively and balanced, even when they contain significant amounts of residual sugar.
Depending on when the grapes are harvested and how they are made, Jurançon can produce three distinct styles, indicated on the label by the terms Jurançon Sec, Jurançon, and Jurançon Vendanges Tardives.
1. Jurançon Sec
"Jurançon Sec" is the dry expression of the appellation. The appellation says that wine must contain 4 g/L or less of residual sugars.
The wines typically have a high acidity and pronounced notes of citrus, exotic fruits and white flowers, sometimes with a subtle mineral character.
2. Jurançon
When the label simply says "Jurançon”, it refers to the medium-sweet or sweet style of the appellation. These wines contain more than 40 g/L of residual sugars.
Jurançon can show pronounced aromas of honey, stone fruits, exotic fruits and flowers. As the wine ages, dried fruits and spicy notes can become more pronounced.
3. Jurançon Vendanges Tardives
The expression "Vendanges Tardives” means "late harvest”. It refers to grapes that are left on the vine significantly longer than for a normal harvest.
Current regulations require the grapes to be harvested from November onwards. The grapes are harvested by hand, often in successive selections.
Why wait so long?
As the grapes remain on the vine after ripening, they lose water and become increasingly concentrated. This process, known as passerillage, concentrates the sugars, acids and other compounds inside the berries. The thick skins of petit manseng are particularly well suited to this process. The result is grapes with very high sugar concentration and pronounced aromas, while still retaining the acidity that gives Jurançon its characteristic freshness.
The finished wine must contain more than 55 g/L of residual sugars, and, importantly, Vendanges Tardives wines cannot be enriched (no external sugar can be added).
These wines are full-bodied, rich and naturally sweet, with pronounced aromas of ripe and dried fruits, honey and spices. Despite their sweetness, they maintain a remarkable freshness thanks to the natural acidity of the grapes.
