The landscape is an Instagram paradise of lush green pastures, snow-capped peaks and chocolate-box villages. The vineyards of Jurançon stretch some 25 miles along the foot of the Pyrenees in southwest France, in the Béarn region (sauce aficionados will need no further introduction).
The story of Jurançon wine centres around Henry II of Navarre, who bought a vineyard in the appellation back in 1552, at a time when the hillsides were already richly carpeted with the petit manseng and gros manseng grape varieties for which the area is renowned. He is said to have moistened the lips of the newborn future king of France with the luxuriously sweet dessert wine during his christening.
Domaine de Souch
A scenic 20-minute drive from the centre of Pau, Domaine de Souch was the brainchild of Yvonne Hegoburu, who at the tender age of 60 decided to get into the world of winemaking. The first wine she ever produced was so good it won an award in Paris in 1990. She lived until the grand old age of 95, having handed over the reins to her son Jean-René, who now farms the seven hectares of internationally acclaimed biodynamic vines following the principles of Rudolf Steiner, social reformer and father of biodynamic theory, who Yvonne discovered more than 30 years ago. Domaine de Souch is the ideal terroir for sweet-wine production. Its deep-red soils capture the heat of the day in summertime and release it at nighttime, making for riper grapes on the vine. The vineyard has even had its 15 minutes of fame, too, having featured in Jonathan Nossiter’s 2004 documentary film Mondovino. Hegoburu’s reputation continues to precede it, meaning the property’s stunning sweet wines grace the tables of many of Europe’s top restaurants.
805 chemin de Souch, 64110 Laroin; +33 5 59 06 27 22; @domainedesouch; visits by appointment only
Clos Lapeyre
Lapeyre is headed up by owner and tireless winemaker Jean-Bernard Larrieu, who usually hides his rockstar mane of long, wiry grey hair beneath his trademark black beret. Known affectionately as “Jesus” by locals, Jean-Bernard set up the winery as a one-man band back in 1985 before the magnificent, old hillside vineyards of Domaine de Nays-Labassère were incorporated in 2004, with an extra seven hectares in the heart of Chapelle de Rousse. The vines’ roots dive deep into loam and clay-rich soils over the typical Jurançon “puddingstone” bedrock, rich in pebbles and siliceous gravel. Jean-Bernard makes a spectrum of wines that range in style from ripe citrus to tropical fruit, all characterised by their wonderful natural acidity.
257 chemin de Couday, La Chapelle de Rousse, 64110 Jurançon; jurancon-lapeyre.fr
Domaine du Cinquau
As well as producing six cuvées – including two Jurançon secs (dry) and three Jurançon moelleux (sweet), Domaine du Cinquau offers al-fresco theatre performances at the property’s on-site amphitheatre during the summer months. The nine-hectare winery, founded in 1617 and owned by the Saubot family, nestles on the slopes of the westernmost Pyrenean foothills, in an area known as Entre Deux Gaves, a 10-minute drive from Pau.
Chemin du Cinquau, 64230 Artiguelouve; +33 5 59 83 10 41; cinquau.fr
La Maison des vins du Jurançon
La Maison, based in the hamlet of Lacommande, on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, is a one-stop shop for tasting pretty much all Jurançon wines under one pretty little converted-barn roof – 150 of them, in fact, all produced by independent winegrowers – and not just white wines either. There are heat-benefitting reds from neighbouring Madiran, as well as the intensely tannic irouléguy from Pays Basque. The Maison des vins is located just opposite the Commanderie, with its ancient cloisters, founded in 1124 – the centrepiece of a network of hospitals set up by Gaston IV the Crusader during the reconquest of Zaragoza from the Moors. So it’s a cinch to combine a visit to both.
Rue de l’église, 64360 Lacommande; +33 5 59 82 70 30; vins-jurancon.fr
Flaveurs de Mont-Riant
Housed within a vast 19th-century mansion, Flaveurs is the gourmet offering from the Mont-Riant estate. The restaurant is run by local couple Patxi, a Basque chef, and his wife Marilyn, from the Béarn. The pair have tastefully revamped the property’s interior, which affords wonderful vistas of the city of Pau below. Their commitment to local producers is no better illustrated than by their cèpe ravioli served with foie gras. Open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch, plus Thursday to Saturday for dinner.
1 avenue des Frères Barthélémy, 64110 Jurançon; +33 5 59 90 60 94; domaine-montriant.fr
Kokoni
Hosts François and Nathalie Bary welcome guests to their four tiny houses located close to the river on the edge of Arette, a small village an hour outside Pau in the Haut-Béarn. Surrounded by invigorating meadows, hills and peaks, Kokoni makes a great away-from-it-all base for your vineyard expeditions, a place where you’re positively encouraged to slow down, laze in a deck chair, read a book in the garden or take a restorative Nordic bath.
15 rue Longis, 64570 Arette; +33 7 88 26 22 55; kokoni-en-bearn.fr
Lee Osborne is creative director of Secret Trips
