Jurançon Sec "Comete" (White) 2020

A dry blend of 80% Petit Manseng and 20% Gros Manseng. This cuvée usually includes Camaralet, a rare local grape, but weather problems in this vintage meant there was no harvest for Camaralet.

Story: Maxime Salharang was the winemaker at Jurançon stalwart Domaine de Souch for nearly a decade. In 2012 he started his own Domaine ,and now along with his wife Lucie, makes mostly dry wines from a 3 hectare Domaine in the Ossau Valley. His crisp, linear style is notably different from most in the region, thanks north-facing vineyards, a unique subsoil of clay and pebbles atop a rare strip of Triassic limestone and the use of malolactic fermentation.

Vinification: Young vines, planted in 2011 and 2012, on clay and limestone soils with some gravel. All grapes are hand harvested, carried a short distance to the winery, gently pressed and then fermented with indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged for 6 months in old oak with some lees stirring. Lightly filtered just for clarity.

Match it with: An excellent apéritif. Great with Crab dishes, raw seafood, smoked salmon, sea bass with vegetables, salty cheeses.