Despite being a Gascon blend that has been delighting palates for 30 years, Colombelle nevertheless had to cross the Atlantic before reappearing in French glasses…
The 2020 vintage
It is characterized by a harvest of ripe grapes, with very high sugar content, a first in the past 15 years.
History
A wine-growing area for many years given over to producing Armagnac brandy, the Gascon region enjoyed a winemaking revival in the late 1970s, when local lad André Dubosc rediscovered a Gers grape variety called “French Colombard” at a wine tasting event in the United States! The Gascon visionary tasted a white wine that was highly aromatic, with delicate acidity. It was a revelation: he rediscovered a Gers varietal perhaps destined to shine in a Côtes de Gascogne signature wine!
In the wine cellar
The first trials of winemaking and blending the Colombard and white Ugni varieties convinced the testers, and so Plaimont invested in suitable technical equipment.
A new style of wine was born: fruity, lively and crisp with a touch of sweetness.
1987 – 2020
And the rest was history, thanks to the talent of these pioneering winegrowers, so dedicated to the future of their region and putting a forgotten piece of the Gers’ wine heritage back on the map. The Plaimont’s bold initiative quickly reaped rewards.
In 1987, the winegrowers proudly presented the first vintage blend, “Colombelle Primeur”.
“L’ORIGINAL”
True pioneer and symbol of the Gascony art of living
Born in the mid-eighties, Colombelle L’Original has become THE emblematic wine of Côtes de Gascogne over the years.
Recognised throughout the world for its inimitable aromatic and crisp style, Colombelle is a perfect reflection of this region of South-West France, between ocean and mountains, a fine mixture of exuberance and freshness. It is pale in colour, with green highlights.
The bouquet in the nose is intensely fruity and fresh, dominated by pale stone fruit flavours and shot through with citrus and passionfruit notes.
In the mouth it is simple and fruity, expressing the nose aromas with a floral touch and a crisp, zesty lemon-lime finish.
A pleasure to drink from the aperitif onwards, and pairs well with sushi. An ideal partner wine for crab, fish tajine, salmon and dill, or poultry with preserved lemon.
It is also a perfect match for Moroccan, Indian and Oriental cuisine, and marvellously complements ewe’s cheese and fresh goat’s cheese, followed by mango panna cotta or lemon cheesecake for dessert.
“CHARMES”
Autumn, an especially lovely season in Gascony, brings ideal conditions for the grapes to overripen slowly.
The straw-pale wine, dancing with silvery highlights, develops an exuberant nose of zesty preserved lemon enlivened with a touch of white blossom and acacia honey. The initial mouth-feel is a rush of sweetness immediately relayed by a mouth-watering acidity. The finish, subtly freshened by grapefruit zest with the merest note of bitterness, leaves the mouth fresh and yearning for the next sip.
An excellent aperitif wine thanks to its natural liveliness and unique aromatic character, it goes well with traditional South-West gastronomy (foie gras with apple) and is perfectly placed as a dessert wine, with unrivalled digestibility for the end of a meal.
Adventurous palates might enjoy more exotic pairings with sweet-savoury dishes or cuisine styles with more heat (such as spicy roast chicken).
“CAPRICE”
Caprice is a fine wine,
fruit of the first ever selection from the best parcels in the Colombelle vineyard, in the heart of Gascony where nature is preserved.
The colour is classic Colombard with pale green highlights, yet some golden nuances from the Gros Manseng grape also shine through. The nose, dominated by lemon notes and grapefruit aromas, develops with great intricacy towards subtler hints of white peach and quince. The initial attack is lively and delicious. The Colombard’s crispness offsets the sweetness of the Gros Manseng.
Caprice is characterised by exceptional length, and leaves the palate with a sensation of pineapple and passion fruit end notes. Fruity, with delightful acidity yet round in texture, CAPRICE is ideal from the aperitif right through to dessert. This cuvée would make a fine accompaniment to oysters and shellfish, white meat, a young ewe’s cheese, followed by a lemon tart dessert.
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our other Plaimont wines
