Cuvee Jean Paul Sec

Tasting Note

Made from quality grapes selected from Vin de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne, this is a deliciously fresh wine with a very aromatic nose with zesty citrus and hints of stone fruit. The palate has lots of white nectarine, citrus and creamy characters, which balance with a refreshing lemony acidity. An immensely enjoyable, easy drinking dry white wine.

Producer Details

In south west France (south of Bordeaux), Gascony is the home of foie gras, d’Artagnan and The Three Musketeers; more importantly for Boutinot (the importer), it has been the source of their white bistro wines for the past twenty five years. Gascony is cool enough to produce white wines which are streaked with refreshing acidity and sparkle with zesty aromatics, perfect for Cuvée Jean Paul or Mas de Vigneron. Samantha Bailey, Boutinot’s winemaker responsible for Gascony, also sources Sauvignon-esque Colombard here for the Champs du Moulin, La Révolution and Azura single varietal wines. Tasting raw wines in the wintry months of December and January in unheated and purposefully chilly cellars is challenging, particularly just after breakfast, but a task Samantha has championed. The task continues throughout the year as Samantha rigorously blends all the components she has retained to maintain consistency across the frequent bottlings they make throughout the year to keep their wines fresh and long-lived.

In The Vineyard

The rolling hills between the scattered medieval towns and villages of Gascony are predominately white wine country. Designated Pays de Gascogne in 1982, it was to here that Paul Boutinot was drawn to source his white wines from the locally grown Colombard and Ugni Blanc grape varieties. Vines are trained using the Guyot system and vigorous grape selection is used to capture the fresh aromatics and flavour of this Blanc de Blancs from the southwest province of Gascony.

In The Winery

On delivery to the cellar, the grapes are cooled by gas (CO2), undergo maceration pelliculaire for 5-15 hours, then pneumatique pressing, and debourbage a froid. Alcoholic fermentation is started by cultured yeast and once fermentation is complete, the wine is conserved on the lees to retain maximum freshness.

Food Recommendations

Ideal as an aperitif or with fish dishes such as haddock, peas and chips or simple vegetable or salad dishes.

Awards & Press

2010 Vintage: Sommelier Wine Awards 2012 - Silver
2009 Vintage: Sommelier Wine Awards 2011 - Silver
2010 Vintage: "Lemon and lime in character with herbaceous, grassy notes, this is aromatic and dry, with crisp lemon acidity and medium length. A great value easy drinker." Sommelier Wine Awards 2012
2010 Vintage: "A crisp white with more grapefruit flavours than many Ugni and Colombard blends yet it retains an appealing pear finish." Scotland on Sunday, 23rd July 2011
2009 Vintage: "Fresh and grassy on the nose, with plenty of citrusy character, a mineral note on the palate and clean finish. Medium-bodied, a good value, easy-drinking proposition. "Sommelier Wine Awards 2011, Judges Comments