Clos Guirouilh’s Jurançon Sec has become something of a cult wine with readers of this newsletter and for good reason. This is the forth vintage we’ve offered of this wine because we love it. Jurançon is a tiny appellation in Southwestern France and is one of those appellations wine geeks and sommeliers like to talk about but nobody ever sees, much less drinks. Well, here it is! After tasting it initially and going back to it after tasting after a bunch of other very good wines, the word "intense" kept coming back to us. Exotic aromas of bees wax, ripe nectarine, minerals and other stuff I can't articulate segue to the luxurious palate filled with stone fruit, citrus, spices and a core of minerality cutting through the palate from start to finish. The full-bodied palate is rich and powerful and kept bright and lively by fresh acidity. It delivers a level of complexity and persistence unusual to find in any wine, especially at this price level. Oh, it's a blend of old vine 85% Gros Manseng and 15% Petit Courbu from cool hillside vineyards in the Lasseube terroir. And, it's freakin' delicious!!!
