Clos de la Vierge 2020

Here’s a crisp, dry white wine from the under-the-radar Jurançon region in southwest France. It’s a delicious blend of dry (from the Gros Manseng grape) and sweet (from the Petit Manseng grape). If you haven’t tasted one before, Clos de la Vierge is a perfect introduction to the style.

This fabulous Gros Manseng comes from the Barrère family’s estate, led by 70-plus-year-old Anne-Marie Barrère. She tends to the 3.5-hectare (a little over 8 and a half acre) vineyard and makes the wine—as she has done brilliantly for the last 50 years. Her sister, Christiane, also helps out in the vineyard and winery and their 90-plus-year-old mother, known as Madame Barrère, tends the kitchen garden.

Jurançon’s wines have been prized since the Middle Ages. Local lore says that the best vineyards were valued by the princes of Béarn and the parliament of Navarre for taxation purposes. Vines in the region are often planted in curving, horseshoe-like rows on steep hillsides, allowing for the most sun exposure to ripen the grapes. Thanks to the nearby Atlantic Ocean and Pyrenees Mountains, the climate stays temperate, which locks in the freshness and vibrancy of the dry whites.

If this is your first Gros Manseng, sip a glass on its own to savor the wine’s vibrant citrus and orchard-fruit flavors, lovely mouthfeel and delightfully fresh streak. Then, try it with rich shellfish, roasted chicken or dishes with cream-based sauces.