Domaine Laougue Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Sec 2024

Grape: Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng
Vintage: 2023
Type: White

Sourced from sustainably farmed hillside plots in the Pyrenean foothills of Southwest France, this dry white comes from old vines rooted in deep clay and gravel soils. Winemaker Sylvain Dabadie hand-harvests the low-yielding manseng varieties to balance their rich sugar potential with high natural acidity. The fruit undergoes a gentle pressing followed by spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts in temperature-controlled vats to preserve raw aromatic intensity. The wine rests on its fine lees with occasional stirring (bâtonnage) to build texture while avoiding any oak influence. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, this is an energetic, high-acid regional dry white defined by power, tension, and driving citrus character.

A bright lemon-gold color leads into intense aromas of white peach, grapefruit zest, dried apricot, and wild herbs. The palate is medium-bodied, dense, and energetic, delivering focused flavors of tart yellow plum, salt-cured lemon, raw almond, and a touch of lemongrass. A piercing beam of natural acidity cuts cleanly through the wine's broader, leesy mid-palate, giving the mouthfeel exceptional vertical drive and structure. It finishes long, crisp, and bone-dry, leaving persistent notes of bitter citrus pith, wet stone, and wild flora.