Winegrowers’ Portraits
The Craftsman become master of tannat
When you visit Alain Brumont, he receives you in all simplicity, at his table, with all his staff from the vineyard, the cellars, the office, for a home-made lunch. That is the way he is. He reminds where he comes from and who owes his success to.
What we remind of this encounter is his great humility, a marveled look that still seems to wonder about his success. He did not go at school for long but he is the first and pionneer in all he undertakes in Madiran. The first to build an underground cellar, the first to age Madiran in barrels, the first to carry out treading, the first to believe in Tannat. It is not so much ambition that made him succeed but a great curiosity. Alain Brumont has thousand ideas a minut and he loves to experiment. His love for the earth and his will for the recognition of Madiran drove him. But also daring and courage.
He rebuilds the family estate of Château Bouscassé composed of 17 ha in 1979. He feels like becoming emancipated and at last freeing his creativity. There he produces Madiran, Côte de Gascogne and Pacherenc du Vic Bilh. In 1980, he also takes over Château Montus where he only makes Madiran, but what a Madiran! His best plot produces La Tyre that often ranks among world’s best wines.
Then in the late 80s, Alain invents late harvest on December 3rd, 1988, and establishes a single grape variety, Petit Manseng. These first Late Harvest cuvees enabled to increase the fame of the appellation Pacherenc du Vic Bilh and to place it at the height of the greatest appellations of sweet wine.
But Alain Brumont would tell you that it is not with the high-end wines that an estate has to try to be known. His policy is to make a quality basic wine and to export it massively in the world, as Champagne did. That is especially what he has done with his Côte de Gascogne (2.5 million bottles a year on average). And he even admits that it helped the Brumont vineyards to survive the crisis he best terroirs. Starting with 17 hectares, his vineyards now cover 240 self-owned. He then studied the potential of each grape variety allowed by the appellation, and planted each of them on the most adapted soil. Tannat found his master in Alain Brumont. He proved that this variety was able to produce great wines and to rank among world’s 5 best varieties.
Alain Brumont defines himself as the leading force of the region but he would like all the good winegrowers to gather to better uphold the appellation. Before he interested in Madiran, from 1948 to 1980, the appellation used to sell an astringent, bitter, reduced wine with a lot of defaults. It was a style that only the local people could drink. He does not work for himself but for the appellation, his children, the future generations, to help Madiran radiate internationally and not only thanks to him. Some may say that he does not do all this by altruism, but you have to remind that he deeply loves his terroir and wants to make it known. Go and capture the breadth of it during the next open days on the third week-end of November!
Vignobles Brumont
32400 Maumusson Laguian
Tél. : +33 (0)5 62 69 74 67
Fax. : +33 (0)5 62 69 70 46
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