24 Days of French Wine: Madiran

Madiran is a dark red wine with lots of tannins. It is produced in the commune of Madiran in southwestern France, near the Pyrenees. It is required to be aged for a minimum of 12 months before selling, with average wait times sitting around 18 to 20 months. It is said to have the highest levels of polyphenols of any wine. Mostly made from the Tannat grape, it was a Madiran producer named Patrick Ducournau, who, in working with the harsh tannins of this grape, developed the technique of micro-oxygenation.

Madiran can be divided into three main types: young, medium, old. Young, which is what we have, pairs well with grilled meats, especially duck breast, or with dishes using confit meats, like cassoulet.

~The details~
Name: Domaine Bernet - Grande Tradition
Year: 2013
Region: Southwest France
Appellation: Appellation Madiran Contrôlée
Grape/Cépage: unknown. Likely at least 40% Tannat.
Alcohol: 13.5%
Serving Temp:  Unlisted, a cool room temperature
Serving ideas: Grilled steak, Duck breast, Duck confit, Cheese
Special notes: Bottled at the estate

What we did: Funny story. There was a possibility of having guests for dinner on Sunday - the day we had the Cahors - but stores close at noon on Sundays, so we bought extra duck breasts just in case. Now - oh tragedy - we had extra duck! So we popped them in the freezer for later and had duck with red berry sauce this time. It's a hardship, I know. Paired with gratin potatoes and sautéed spinach again.

I think this was more what I was expecting when I tasted the Cahors. Very dark, lots of tannins, a bit intimidating.  I'm very glad we paired this with duck and would be happy to try it again with other rich, fatty, meaty, hearty foods like cassoulet. It definitely needs to be paired with something of substance.