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The year, there’s only a single wine from this gem of southwest France. A Chablis of the south, this year’s Comète is a blend of Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng with a smattering of the high-quality Camaralet. This last variety is hardly seen in Jurançon today, although it speaks volumes that many of the appellation’s more progressive domaines are invested. All of this tiny domaine’s vines are rooted in the soils of Gan in the commune of La Chapelle de Rousse. The terroir here is some of Jurançon’s most austere and sits on a rare band of Triassic limestone. Atop the limestone bedrock lies a blanket of poudingue, a mixture of clay with chalk, crushed pebbles and large galet stones—the legacy of the nearby Ossau Valley.
The fruit ferments with indigenous yeasts, and the wines are raised in old oak barrels (purchased from Smith Haut Lafitte). Maxime Salharang stirs his lees in cooler years to promote depth and texture. The wines always pass through malolactic conversion, which is needed to balance the extraordinary acidity gained in this cool terroir. Added sulphur is kept under 40 mg/L, and the wines are seldom fined before bottling.