2022 Plaimont Les Vignes Retrouvées Saint-Mont Blanc

Plaimont is a modern cooperative in southwest France that represents the interests of the farmers but is also an international wine player responding to market demands. Saint Mont is the reference appellation for grape variety research (ampelography). It is home to the first vineyard listed as a historical monument (in 2012) and the first private greenhouse in France (since 2002).

Saint Mont is a unique terroir and produces unique wines. These Les Vignes Retrouvées are distinctive and are the reward for many long days spent exploring old plots with carefully preserved vineyards and collecting valuable treasures, such as certain grape varieties from the Pyrenees that were practically lost or forgotten. Saint Mont possesses other treasures such as Lambruscos, wild vines that bear witness to the fact that Vitis vinifera* has been growing on these terroirs for thousands of years. Situated on the slopes of the foothills of the Pyrenees, the Saint Mont appellation covers 46 municipalities in the west of the Gers department. There, they thrive in a special, relatively cool microclimate and extremely fertile terroir. The appellation utilizes local and very old varieties: Tannat, Pinenc, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon for the red and rosé wines, and Gros Manseng, Arrufiacand, and Petit Courbu for the white wines.

The Les Vignes Retrouvées blanc is a white wine offering excellent value for money. It is certainly not an average white wine and is a blend of the indigenous grape varieties Gros Manseng, Arrufiac, and Petit Courbu. This very delicate white wine from Southwest France is crisp and has a beautiful, brilliant yellow-green color. The aroma is primarily fruit: citrus (orange, grapefruit), white peach, and some blossom. The taste is fresh, with a rich mouthfeel and a pleasantly long finish. Here too, there is plenty of fruit and freshness. This wine is very versatile. It is delicious with lunch, as an aperitif, or with dinner. Fish dishes pair very well with it. Two other tips: flavorful Spanish or Lebanese dishes. In that case, the wine acts as a 'fire extinguisher'.