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Domaine Cauhapé

If there are any wines that have made an impression on me in the last few years, they can be found at Domaine Cauhapé. Proprietor Henri Ramonteu turns out a range of wines made from the local Petit and Gros Manseng, both dry and sweet, that rival any dry or sweet wine produced in France today. The wines have a precision, a balance, and a focus of pure flavour unlike any others I have encountered from the South-West.

The domaine is 40 hectares in total, planted entirely to the two Mansengs. The Gros Manseng is the mainstay of the dry Jurançon, being the grape behind two of the three such wines. The first is the Chant des Vignes, an unoaked cuvée, which is harvested in mid-October, fermented in stainless steel and then held on the lees for six months, before bottling. The oaked Gros Manseng (typically blended with about 30% Petit Manseng), Sève d'Automne, is harvested a little later in October and similarly fermented before spending ten months in used oak. There is a third Gros Manseng cuvée, Ballet d'Octobre (also typically blended with about 30% Petit Manseng), managed in a very similar fashion to the Sève d'Automne.

Petit Manseng is Jurançon's secret weapon; as at other domaines, this is the variety responsible for the greatest sweet wines, and Domaine Cauhapé is no exception. There is one dry wine, Canopée, but it is the sweet cuvées, made from grapes harvested first in October and then in stages throughout Autumn and possibly through to January the following year, that really set Domaine Cauhapé apart. First harvests, in early November, provide the raw materials for Symphonie Novembre; yields are 30-35 hl/ha, vinification is in new and two year-old oak, followed by nine months in oak and then six months in tank before bottling. The Noblesse du Temps is the product of December's harvest, and if I were running the domaine would be called something more logical such as L'Expression Decembre, but then the wines probably wouldn't be so good, so Noblesse du Temps it is. With an extra month of hang-time these late harvested grapes are picked at just 20 hl/ha, fermented in new oak and then spend up to eighteen months in barrel. The result can be intense, sweet and smoky, a beautiful example of the oak-influenced vendange tardive style, based entirely on passerillage. There is very rarely a little noble rot in the vineyards, says manager Edward de Ros, such as 2006, but this is not the norm.

The pinnacle of achievement at Cauhapé is embodied in two final wines; of the two top cuvées, the one most likely to be encountered is Quintessence du Petit Manseng, produced from the third and fourth tries and harvested in 8 hl/ha. Fermentation is in oak, followed by two years élevage. The result is, quite simply, breath-taking; this is a true vin de garde which, although different in style - relying on passerillage rather than botrytis - can easily challenge many Sauternes on terms of quality. I can only, so far, imagine how its companion wine, Folie de Janvier, tastes. This is an occasionally produced cuvée, made from the very last bunches picked in January, well into the frosty winter. These grapes are harvested at a mere 6 hl/ha before fermentation and élevage in the same manner as for Quintessence.

I'm a little reluctant to bang my drum about Domaine Cauhapé too loud...after all, I don't want to alert you all to this star of South-West France. But the wines are simply fabulous, and my enthusiasm quite simply betrays me. Having tasted through the range on several occasions in the company once of Henri Ramonteu and subsequently Edward de Ros, I have already bought more for the cellar, of both dry and sweet cuvées. That says all you need to know about the quality to be found here. (24/10/05, updated 25/7/07)

Contact details:
Address: 64360 Monein
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 59 21 33 02
Fax: +33 (0) 5 59 21 41 82
Internet: www.cauhape.com

Domaine Cauhapé - Tasting Notes

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Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Sec Chant des Vignes 2005: This has a bright and shimmering hue, and although it seems to have lost that vibrant grapefruit character there are other appealing elements on the nose, most notably a herby, garden mint perfume. Alongside it, however, there was also a trace of confected banana, more like banana flavoured sweets than the genuine item, and this has never been an aroma I have enjoyed in a wine. Fortunately for me, the isoamyl or amyl acetate, or whichever of the above is the culprit, is not so evident on the palate, which has a full body, a touch of creaminess, with a lovely weight. There is a raft of un-bananery fruit, with a pithy nature, and lots of grip and substance. Overall, despite my initial misgivings, this is really excellent wine, the banana component indeed fading to become a minor nuance, and on reviewing my notes from my tasting in February I see that today I have scored it a little higher than I did then. What a pleasure. For label images and more see my Wine of the Week write-up. 18/20 (October 2007)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Sec Chant des Vignes 2005: This is 100% Gros Manseng, fermented entirely in stainless steel. A lovely, evocative nose, with aromas of grapefruit. Very fresh on the palate, crisp, with good direction. Lovely, vibrant, vivacious style. 17.5/20 (February 2007)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Sec Seve d'Automne Vieilles Vignes 2005: This is 70% Gros Manseng, 30% Petit Manseng which see 8 to 10 months in old oak. It has a lovely, honeyed nose, and on the palate it has a similar honeyed character, despite being really very dry. It almost seems autumnal, although no doubt the name provokes these thoughts. Fresh and crisp, and a fabulous texture. Very fine. 17.5+/20 (February 2007)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Sec Canopée 2005: This is 100% Petit Manseng, harvested in November, with 30% fermented in new oak, 30% in old oak and 40% in stainless steel. In bottle for just six months at the time of tasting. Rich, honeyed, passerillage style nose. The palate follows on nicely, rich, honeyed, broad and mouthfilling, yet crisp, fresh and just teetering on the edge of dry. Full, even a little grip here. An amazingly characterful finish. Lovely. 17.5+/20 (February 2007)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Ballet d'Octobre 2005: This is 70% Gros Manseng, 30% Petit Manseng, fermented entirely in stainless steel, although in this vintage the Petit Manseng subsequently spent six months in oak. A lovely, honeyed yet vibrant nose. Rich, round, expressive, fresh and vivacious. Lovely, creamy, white fruit flavours. Just divine. 18+/20 (February 2007)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Symphonie de Novembre 2005: This is 100% Petit Manseng which has spent ten months in oak. Honey, orange and quince on the nose. Lovely, fat and creamy palate, rounded yet fresh and grippy. Youthful. Full of potential, but this needs time to blossom. 18+/20 (February 2007)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Sec Chant des Vignes 2004: This shows a fresher profile, but similarly precise, with a nettly character. Fresh, crisp acidity on the palate with a green, herbal element. Super style here. This is delightful. 17/20 (May 2005)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Noblesse du Temps 2003: This is 100% Petit Manseng which has spent 18 months in new oak after fermentation. Very compact nose, dense and honeyed. Deep and complex palate. Broad, expansive, sweet and honeyed. Impressive wine indeed. Just fabulous. 18.5+/20 (February 2007)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Sec Chant des Vignes 2003: A beautifully fresh nose, quite expressive, with herbal and mineral, nettly, honey tinged notes. Crisp, precise palate with a superb texture and great finesse. Balanced, and in possession of a lovely vinosity. This is superb. 18/20 (May 2005)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Sec Seve d'Automne Vieilles Vignes 2003: A superb nose, fresh but showing a slightly more honeyed element than the two Chant des Vignes cuvées. Dry palate, yet weighty and textured, with plenty of style and grip. Nettly, honey-tinged character. Very impressive. 18/20 (May 2005)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Ballet d'Octobre 2003: A lovely, botrytis tinged nose, with a wealth of white crystalline fruits here. It has a honeyed and textured palate, with light botrytis, cut through with fresh acidity. There is elegance with this wine, which has grip and weight, but also exhibits a very fluid, seamless presence on the palate. Wonderful. 18/20 (May 2005)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Symphonie de Novembre 2003: An elegant, refined, minerally, rock dust nose. There is great depth on the palate, which has a delightfully lush, seamless character, and yet crisply fresh crystalline fruit and a fine minerality. This is just super. 18/20 (May 2005)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Noblesse du Temps 2003: A splendid nose, of honey draped over more minerally, crystalline white fruits. Fantastic viscosity on the impressively creamy, velvety textured palate. Superb richness, lovely grip, and superb depth of flavour. Crushed rock minerality. This is brilliant. 18.5+/20 (May 2005)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Sec Chant des Vignes 2002: Great nose, really fresh and firm. On the palate this wine shows plenty of structure, with some firm grip, and a lovely weighty, notable presence on the palate. This is countered by fresh acidity and a firm, upright texture. Delicious, structured stuff. Drink now and over the next few years. 17/20 (October 2005)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Noblesse de Temps 2001: This has a glorious golden hue in the glass, rich and shimmering. Aromatically a fabulously complex and evolved character, rich in deep, botrytis-tinged aromas. It is bright, perfumed, direct and well-framed. Coming along with this this is a panoply of rich aromas, of caramel and toffee, with hints of roasted banana (a rare moment when banana seems attractive in wine) and candied lemon, melting sugar and cinnamon. Intense fruit. Delicious mellifluous style on the palate, with soft and caramel-tinged fruit, carried long beautiful by an apricot and lemon lift, and underneath there is crunchy structure. Touches of coffee. Beautiful balance and freshness, but also great weight and breadth. Delicious, mouth-watering finish, with a flourish of grippy, pithy, phenolic elements which add a fine twist of bitterness to the fruit. And it is very long too. Stunning wine. From my 2001 Vintage Ten Years On tasting. 18.5/20 (December 2011)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Noblesse de Temps 2000: This is the wine made from Cauhapé's December harvest. A rich and golden hue. It has appeal to the eye, but it has even more appeal on the nose, which is stunning on one hand, ethereal on the other. The vibrant fruit aromas have pineapple characteristics, peaches too, all smothered in cream and then dusted with a smoky, gunpowdery, minerally spritz. It is, quite simply, gorgeous. The palate has all this in spades, with brilliant and vibrant acidity twisted with a smoking and volcanic minerality, with lots of grip and vigour too. Delicious sweetness, great fruit vibrancy, great depth and texture too. A sweet but savoury and substantial wine. Overall, brilliant. From my 2000 vintage Ten Years On tasting. 18.5/20 (November 2010)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Noblesse du Temps 2000: From a half bottle. Powerful minerality on the nose; notes of cordite and crushed rocks. Beautiful palate; balanced yet rich, honeyed, but showing that super stony, rocky minerality found on the nose. Apricots, cream, notes of pineapple and citrus. Shows grip and structure too. Pretty impressive length. Wonderful. Drinking now, but should be fine for a decade in the cellar at least. 18/20 (October 2005)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Quintessence du Petit Manseng 1999: Produced from an eight hectare plot, picked on Christmas Eve. Fabulous, deep, concentrated, really breathtaking wine. So concentrated, so intense, honey and barley. It is remarkable to think that this comes entirely from the passerillage method. A divine, lingering finish. 19.5+/20 (February 2007)

Domaine Cauhapé Jurançon Quintessence du Petit Manseng 1999: Simply stunning; a breathtaking nose, exhibiting a rarely encountered finesse, an elegant intertwining of mineral character and exotic aroma. Such balance on the palate. There is great structure, a wonderful depth of fruit and fine botrytis. Despite such opulent richness this wine still possesses great verve and elegance. Finishes with a delightful, honeycomb finish. This is exceptional. 19.5+/20 (May 2005)