The fine and natural wines of Southwest France
The Southwest wine region is a treasure trove of terroirs tucked between Bordeaux (which has its own status) in the North, Spain in the South, the Languedoc- Roussillon in the East and the Atlantic Ocean in the West.
A trip from Bergerac to the Basque Country, the Massif Central to the Pyrenees via the Lot, the Tarn and the Garonne rivers. A vast region of sub-regions, each with their own climate, geology, topology, pedology. A constellation of contrasts in the orbit of Toulouse, home to 42 named appellations, hundreds of rare and ancient grape varieties and a passionate community of natural winemakers that have self-gravitated to form their own galaxy.
The Southwest is “the greatest undiscovered wine region of France” says Andrew Jefford (Decanter 2021) : “a cluster of often remote appellations…many so small that it’s hard for them to make a wave in the market. They export a bit here, they export a bit there, they sell to the locals – and then all the wine is gone, before the world at large has had a chance to wake up and take notice” (Wine Scholar Guild, 2024) -
In the brilliant words of Jon Bonné in The New French Wine (2023): ”it’s almost definitionally the Great Other of French wines - a crucible where the lives of grapes come crashing together in tangled and wonderful ways.”
A wealth of grape varieties
Colombard - Gros Manseng - Petit Manseng - Loin de L'oeil - Mauzac - Cabernet Franc - Malbec - Fer Servadou - Braucol - Duras - Tannat - Prunelart - Arbouriou - Negrette - Bouysselet - Muscadelle - Sémillon - Sauvignon - Syrah - Merlot
Colombard - Gros Manseng - Petit Manseng - Loin de L'oeil - Mauzac - Cabernet Franc - Malbec - Fer Servadou - Braucol - Duras - Tannat - Prunelart - Arbouriou - Negrette - Bouysselet - Muscadelle - Sémillon - Sauvignon - Syrah - Merlot
300 different grape varieties grow in Southwest France, and 130 are indigenous. They were cultivated by the Romans and propagated by pilgrims on all the trails to St Jacques de Compostelle. They gave birth to many of the varieties that we know today. In Gaillac for example, there’s Prunelard, the papa of Malbec, and Duras is related to Cabernet Franc which spawned Carmenère, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
In the 70s & 80s, thousands of local vines were uprooted and replaced by international varieties. They would have been forgotten if not for the growers who replant them to protect their terroir and wine culture. Tasting these rare and ancient varieties is an act of resistance in the face of climate change and standardisation, and a great pleasure!
A passionate community of grower-makers
The best way to access the soul of the Southwest is through its artisan wines and producers: Like-minded growers who share the same ethos in the vineyards and the winery.
We source our wines from growers around us in Gaillac, Cahors, Coteaux de Quercy, Coteaux et Terrasses de Montauban and Fronton as well as the wider Southwest and sometimes even further afield. Despite the distances between them, they share common ground: a taste for wines that are full of the energy of the living world.
“I think the wines of the Southwest are among the best in the world and we shouldn’t be afraid to say it. We have a mosaic of terroirs, an incredible diversity of grape varieties and an amazing group of talented growers who share the same philosophy. It’s a mini-France, you find wines that are ultra-fresh and ultra-quaffable and wines that you can forget about for 25 years in the cellar.”
Mathias Marquet, Chateau Lestignac
