Cuvee Jean-Paul Gascogne Blanc de Blancs Demi Sec Cotes de Gascogne, 2019

The rolling hills between the scattered medieval towns and villages of Gascony are predominately white wine country. Designated Pays de Gascogne in 1982, it was here that Paul Boutinot was drawn to source his white wines from the locally grown Colombard and Ugni Blanc grape varieties. Vines are trained using the Guyot system and vigorous grape selection is used to capture the fresh aromatics and flavor of this Blanc de Blancs from the southwest province of Gascony. On delivery to the cellar, the grapes are cooled by gas (CO2), undergo maceration pelliculaire for 6-15 hours, then pneumatic pressing, and debourbage a froid. Alcoholic fermentation is started by cultured yeast and once fermentation is complete, the wine is conserved on the lees to retain maximum freshness. The Demi- Sec has a softer, rounder palate than the Sec thanks to the subtle addition of an extra 2g/l residual sugar.