Flavors of Hautes-Pyrénées

All about French Wines > Wines from the South-West > Madiran

Located north-east of Pau, this appellation granted in 1975 (for red wines only) lies mainly on clayey-limestone soils where the tannat grape, sometimes blended with cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and fer servadou (pinenc), produces excellent structured wines made to age. The 1 300 hectares of the appellation produce 70 000 hl of wine annually. With the help of better winemaking techniques, some winemakers are making smoother and fruitier Madiran wines which are ready to drink almost immediately.