Le Clos Cancaillaü makes a very intriguing dessert wine called "Gourmandise"…read more Made of 100 % Petit Manseng, it's slightly oxidized with a sweet start and earthy finish. Even the nose has this strange simultaneous sweet/musty aroma , which is perplexing. Not nearly complex or sweet like a Sauternes or Tokaji, it's still a very enjoyable wine to drink alone or with a dessert.

Jurancon is wine that i've recently rediscovered. In fact I had forgotten that I had it…read morespecifically with a cheese pairing of Comte and Crottin, by none other than the "Ripper" himself, Eric Ripert. Sometimes things are so good you lose your memory :) I had to think long and hard about this and I now remember going through the "oh, I've never had anything like that before" experience. Uroulat is made by a man named Charles Hours with his daughter Marie. Tropical fruit, brightness and a light hint of earth/bitter that I'm now recognizing from the Petit Manseng of this region. It's slowly creeping up on Sauternes as one of my favorite dessert wines.

Domaine Bayard is located about 25 minutes by car from Pau (closest city with an airport)…read moreimmediately neighboring several other small-scale vineyards. You'll drive on country roads and through many roundabouts to reach this modern vineyard that hosts weddings, office happy hours, or small private tours. The current owners have had the vineyard since 2016 and have built some new facilities. Jurançon wine, a white, is made only in this SW region of France with many vineyards overlooking the Pyrenees. We booked a fantastic tour & lunch through Winalist website. Franny was our hostess with the mostess and she speaks excellent English. The tour goes into the vineyards and into the storage and processing rooms where Jurançon is made. Franny taught us agriculture techniques like pruning the vines as well as wine processing techniques like how to produce sparkling wine and remove stems. If you book the tour with the lunch, the food is always of local cuisine. For us, it was quail filets, piperade veggies, cheese, meats, and a basque almond dessert. The value for the lunch and experience is exceptional. You won't go home hungry.