A deep, intense garnet-red. Elegant, powerful, black curranty nose. Structured tannins, fresh on the palate, a generous finish on notes of licorice sticks. A fine example of a classic Madiran. 80% Tannat & 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

The grapes producing this wine are grown on a terroir that is geologically unique to Madiran, ancient gravelly-clay soils which favor water drainage. These soils are predominately found midway up the appellation’s very steep slopes and express classic Madiran at its most noble. An oceanic, temperate climate with mild winters and hot, stormy summers. Hand harvested grapes are cold fermented then aged 12 months in oak barrels of which one third are new, one third are 2nd fill and one third are 3rd fill to bestow aromatic complexity and volume.

Benedictine monks have been cultivating the vineyards of Madiran since the 11th Century. Today, the local farmers are keeping this tradition very much alive under the banner of the Marie Maria which unites some of the finest terroirs of the appellation. Marie Maria was born of an intrinsic, profound and heartfelt desire to forge ahead with the work of revealing the great terroirs of Madiran. Their wines represent the appellation’s best attributes: firmness, freshness and balance. You only have to look to the past to see that wine connoisseurs from the four corners of the earth have always praised the region’s unique style and, thanks to the efforts of many determined, hard-working men and women, this is not about to change. Roland Podenas, President and winegrower, speaking on behalf of the winegrowers of Marie Maria.

A return to the origins of Madiran wines. The ambition of Vignobles Maria Maria is to liberate the image of Madiran wines from their archetypes (concentration, power) to embody the best that the Appellation has to offer: freshness and balance. At the origin of this approach, a small group of winegrowers from the Cave de Crouseilles created a few cuvées to discover the wines of the appellation. Marie Maria was born out of a strong desire: to continue the work, to continue to reveal the complexities of a great terroir, that of Madiran.