The Madiran wine region is located in rural Béarn, South-West of Bordeaux. Here the vines are grown on clay and limestone hills along the left bank of the river Adour. Phillipe Mur, previously a winemaker at Château d’Aydie (perhaps Madiran’s most famous producer), created Clos Basté in 1998 with just 10 hectares of land, all of which is worked organically. His preferred density of planting is 5500 vines per hectare, the majority of which are over 40 years of age. Phillipe chooses to allow his wines to macerate on their skins for up to 5 weeks, with indigenous yeasts only. The élevage is carried out in vat or 400l barriques for approximately 12 months, very much in the manner of a Grand Cru Classé Bordeaux. These are wines with a well- defined and strong personality. They truly express their particular origins with authenticity and clarity. “Rising star Philippe Mur makes this entry-level wine (70% Tannat) for relatively early drinking.
The bouquet has an explosion of summer fruits – particularly blueberries as well as hints of autumn foliage. Intense on entry, nice structure but easy to drink with soft tannins.”