We have one last vineyard: Domaine Cauhapé. The late afternoon light is becoming increasingly golden. There is still snow on some of the Pyrenees peaks. I drive through a centuries-old arch into a perfectly kept courtyard. I park out of the sun and we wander into the large, spotless tasting room. Bottle upon beautiful bottle. “Everything is perfect,” whispers Turin, “Whoever the owner is, he’s a maniac.” He means this in the French sense: crazy for quality.
Henri Ramonteu, the owner-maniac, arrives, 55 years old, fit, good-looking. Intense. Shakes our hands. The least expensive moelleux is Symphonie de Novembre 2001, 14 percent alcohol. Lovely. We taste a Noblesse du Temps 2000 and a 1995, prices going up rapidly. Turin is walking around the tasting room, murmuring into his glass. I watch his reverie as Ramonteu says, “I absolutely agree, you should drink moelleux before and with a meal, but not with dessert.”
He pours a liquid so golden it looks like honey. Sets down the bottle: Quintessence du Petit Manseng 1998. Fifteen percent alcohol. And 138 euros. He hands us the glasses.
Turin: “I have to sit down.” He staggers outside and sits. “Gesù, Maria, e Giuseppe,” he says. “This is beyond good. And it damn well better be; you’re getting to where one plant gives you maybe two glasses. I mean …” Sips. Thinks. Decides definitively: “This is as good as any Sauternes. Apricot and apple, flowers, rich honey, utterly perfect balance, all the harmonies. You taste how optimistic that is?” He’s grinning.
Ramonteu puts us in the back of his truck and we grumble up an almost vertical slope to stop under three huge oaks. The sun, pouring in from Spain like the ocean, runs down the perfectly manicured green plants as we look out over the vineyard, the emerald valley below it, the Pyrenees beyond them. We’re high from the Quintessence du Petit Manseng.
The Details
Staying There
In the 19th century, Pau, known as the Balcony of the Pyrenees, was a stylish spa town. Today, the pleasant little city makes an ideal base from which to tour the Jurançon vineyards. The Hôtel Continental (011-33-5-59-27-69-31; bestwestern.com; from $80) has a winsome Belle Epoque charm and more character than the other chain hotels in the city. The Hôtel Roncevaux (011-33-5-59-27-08-44; hotel-roncevaux.com; from $84) occupies an amusingly grandiose 19th-century manor house overlooking a private courtyard. If you don’t want to be based in town, stay at the charming Château Lamothe (011-33-5-59-21-20-80; chateau-lamothe.fr; from $100), in Monein, which was created out of a 15th-century farmhouse and has a swimming pool and beautiful gardens.
Eeating There
For dining in Pau, Au Fin Gourmet (24 Ave. Gaston-Lacoste; 05-59-27-47-71) serves contemporary French dishes like terrine of foie gras with peppers. Le Viking (33 Blvd. Tourasse; 05-59-84-02-91) is a popular new bistro with rustic food, including cabbage stuffed with crayfish, while Le Fer à Cheval (1 Ave. des Martyrs du Pont Long; 05-59-32-17-40) is pleasant for dining outside under the lime trees on country dishes like lamb braised with white beans. For an old-fashioned take on the hearty cooking of the region, try Hôtel L’Estaminet (17 Place Lacabanne; 05-59-21-30-18), in Monein. If you are planning a picnic, there are wonderful places in Pau not to miss: Camdeborde (2 R. Gachet; 05-59-27-41-02) has irresistible charcuterie, and Gabriel Bachelet (24 R. du Maréchal-Joffre; 05-59-27-79-60) is a fromager par excellence. One of France’s best sheep’s-milk cheeses—Ossau-Iraty—is made in the foothills of the Pyrenees, just south of Pau, and Gabriel Bachelet carries it. The city’s best patisserie is Artigarrède (3 R. Gassion; 05-59-27-47-40). Francis Miot (48 R. du Maréchal-Joffre; 05-59-27-69-51) is one of the most famous jam makers in France.The ultimate address for anyone discovering Jurançon wines is the Cave des Producteurs de Jurançon (53 Ave. Henri IV; 05-59-21-57-03), in the little town of Gan. This cooperative produces 70 percent of the region’s annual output and has 20 producers as members. There are tastings and a great variety of wines on sale.
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