France · Madiran & Pyrénées

Alain Brumont

Alain Brumont makes Tannat led Madiran reds across Château Bouscassé, Château Montus and Montus La Tyre.

The producer

Alain Brumont inherited Château Bouscassé, a 17 hectare vineyard, from his father in 1979 and bought Château Montus in 1980 after deciding Tannat could make outstanding wines. His 1985 Château Montus Prestige was the first Madiran made from 100 percent Tannat and aged entirely in new barrels. The range includes Château Bouscassé Vieilles Vignes, Château Montus and Montus La Tyre, a wine from a previously unplanted hillside vineyard in Madiran. Antoine Veiry, Brumont's stepson, is now winemaker at Domaines Alain Brumont.

Known for

Tannat led Madiran reds

Notable facts

The story

Montus Prestige release

In 1980, Alain Brumont bought Château Montus after deciding Tannat could make outstanding wines. In 1985, he released Château Montus Prestige, the first Madiran made from 100 percent Tannat and aged entirely in new barrels. The cuvée was dubbed the Petrus of Madiran by top international tasters. Its release triggered a qualitative revolution in Madiran. Château Montus Prestige entered the range with its first release as a named wine, with pure Tannat and complete new barrel ageing in the Madiran appellation.

From the atlas

Alain Brumont

Alain Brumont makes Madiran reds from Château Bouscassé and Château Montus, with Tannat in the wines and Montus La Tyre as a named hillside bottle.

At A Glance

FieldDetail
AppellationMadiran
EstatesChâteau Bouscassé and Château Montus
Main grapeTannat
Named hillside wineMontus La Tyre
WinemakerAntoine Veiry at Domaines Alain Brumont

The Producer

Alain Brumont found a previously unplanted hillside in Madiran in 1990 and bought it for Tannat. The plot became Montus La Tyre. Château Bouscassé, a 17 hectare vineyard, came to him from his father in 1979; he bought Château Montus in 1980 after deciding Tannat could make outstanding wines. The two estates make Madiran reds built around Tannat.

Brumont's stepson Antoine Veiry, after working internationally, now serves as winemaker at Domaines Alain Brumont.

Place

Château Bouscassé and Château Montus carry the Madiran appellation. Montus La Tyre sits on Madiran's highest hill at 260 metres. Elevation changes drainage and ripening conditions. The range includes this hillside wine beside the two estate wines.

Soil And Site

Château Bouscassé has clay limestone terroir, with fine yellow and white variegated clays over fissured limestone. Clay holds water, while fissured limestone lets excess water drain, a combination that supports even ripening. Montus La Tyre has rounded pebbles on a steep slope with red and variegated clay beneath. Each vine is limited to five or six bunches. Fewer bunches lower the crop and can increase concentration in the finished red wine.

Story

Alain Brumont released Château Montus Prestige in 1985. It was the first Madiran made entirely from Tannat and aged entirely in new barrels. The release triggered a qualitative revolution in Madiran.

Vineyards And Cellar

Bouscassé undergoes three to six weeks of maceration, with fermentation at 28°C. Maturation follows in barrels with 30 to 50 percent new oak. Barrel ageing adds wood flavour and gradual oxygen exposure, while the percentage of new oak controls how strongly those effects enter the wine. Brumont rejected microoxygenation, a technique that introduces small amounts of oxygen during red wine making, to preserve Tannat's ageing potential.

Wines

Château Bouscassé is the estate wine. Château Bouscassé Vieilles Vignes is pure Tannat from vines more than 50 years old and often requires 10 years to deliver its full potential. Château Montus is 80 percent Tannat and 20 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in oak with about three quarters in new oak and one quarter in one year old barrels. Montus La Tyre is the single hillside wine, matured on its lees in 100 percent new barrels for 14 to 16 months.

In The Glass

Château Bouscassé combines harmony and power with delicate fruit, blackberry aromas, well integrated tannins and a full bodied palate. Château Montus is deep garnet, with a dark fragrance of blackberry and blackcurrant that begins to develop cedarwood and cinnamon. Powerful tannins surround a juicy core of fruit, and the finish is long and gently chewy. Montus La Tyre is rich and deep, with refined tannins and a harmonious, fresh finish.

A Bottle To Understand It

Choose Château Bouscassé 2020. It is the estate bottling, made from 70 percent Tannat, 25 percent Cabernet Franc and 5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, then aged 12 to 14 months in second and third fill barrels. With three grape varieties and used oak, it sits beside the pure Tannat of Château Bouscassé Vieilles Vignes and the single hillside parcel of Montus La Tyre.

Anecdote

In September 2019, Alain Brumont's 2011 Château Bouscassé Madiran was poured for world leaders at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France.

Final Word

Alain Brumont's Madiran range uses Tannat across estate, old vine and hillside wines. It pairs the estate wines Château Bouscassé and Château Montus with Château Bouscassé Vieilles Vignes, pure Tannat, and Montus La Tyre, a named hillside wine.

Sources

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