Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh

The wine

On the Pyrenean foothills, straddling three departments — Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, and Gers — Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh shares the exact same area as Madiran, its red cousin. The name intrigues: it comes from the Gascon 'vits paisheradas', 'staked vines', a reference to the posts that once held the vines upright. AOC since 1948, the appellation is exclusively white and comes in two styles: dry (fifty-five percent of production in 2023) and sweet or liquorous (forty-five percent). Local varieties compose a singular quartet: Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng, Courbu, and Arrufiac, the last of which is endemic. Two hundred and eighty-two hectares produce around eight thousand six hundred hectolitres. The dry versions deploy saline vivacity and citrus aromas; the sweet ones, from late harvests, offer noses of tropical fruit, honey, and candied apricot. Serve chilled with Landes foie gras, poultry in cream, shellfish, or simply a crème brûlée.