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Domaine Capmartin: Harnessing The Power of Tannat
During our last trip to the Southwest of France in March 2022, we spent a nice sunny day in the Madiran area. Simon Capmartin gave us a tour and tasting that allowed us to have a better understanding of the philosophy and the wines of Domaine Capmartin.
The Domaine Capmartin consists of two generations of winegrowers. Guy Capmartin, the first generation, left his family vineyard to start his own project in 1985. He started this project on the site of an old convent from the 18th century. In the early 2000s, he was one of the first in Madiran to start farming organically. The second generation, and Guy Capmartin’s son, Simon came back to work at the winery about ten years ago. He returned to Madiran after spending a year in California and then obtaining a degree from a business school in Bordeaux. He brought some new ideas to the winery, but is still very much walking in his dad’s footsteps.
The Domaine Capmartin
The Domaine Capmartin currently consists of 19 hectares (47 acres) of vineyard as well as 45 hectares (112 acres) of grains. Guy uses the wheat to make bread and sells it in the village.
The Soil
The vineyard is mostly located in the AOP Madiran/Pacherenc du Vic Bilh, with a small portion located in the IGP Cotes de Gascogne. The soil in the Madiran portion of their vineyard is clay and limestone with an occasional bit of gravel. This makes their wines taste slightly fresher than wines from other soil types in Madiran. The soil in the Côtes de Gascogne portion of their vineyard is red clay mixed with rounded pebbles. These pebbles catch heat during the day and release it during the night.
The Grapes
Three quarters of the vineyard consists of red grape varieties. We find mainly Tannat, but there is also some Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. The white varieties are Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng and Petit Courbu for the AOP Pacherenc du Vic Bilh. In the IGP Côtes de Gascogne we find Chardonnay, Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Gris.
Finding Balance in The Vineyard
Guy and Simon spend a lot of time and energy trying to get the right balance in their vineyard. It might sound counterintuitive, but their goal is to limit both the growth and yields of the vines. Too much growth could block air flow, creating humidity in the vines and causing diseases. Too high of yields can create a similar problem with too much humidity and can lead to ripening issues. If there are too many grapes, the vine can struggle to ripen all of them.
The grapevines are planted at a higher density to reduce growth and create more competition for the roots. Because of this competition, the roots are forced to go deeper into the ground and the vines are less likely to struggle in overly dry or wet conditions. The deeper roots can also access more minerals in the soil which makes higher quality grapes. Grass is left in the vineyard to give more competition and further reduce the growth of the vines. Sheep are used as natural lawn mowers in the winter.
In the summer some leaves are removed near the grapes to increase air flow and reduce humidity. Organic and biodynamic practices are used on the whole farm, grains included. As much as possible, the grapevines are exposed to the North and East. This limits the amount of hot afternoon sun, which helps keep the alcohol levels down, making the wine taste fresher.
The Wines of Domaine Capmartin
Tackling The Tannat Issue
It’s hard to make good wines with Tannat. This grape is naturally very high in tannins. Madiran’s reputation has suffered and is still suffering because of this. It’s very easy to accidentally extract too many tannins from Tannat, creating a wine that won’t be pleasant for at least 10 years. On the other hand, if the tannins are too low the wine can feel like it’s missing body. You walk a fine line when making Tannat! After 35 years of making Madiran, Domaine Capmartin has developed an expertise in making this style of wine. They are able to express the fruit of Tannat while keeping a balance between freshness and tannins.
Sulfites or No Sulfites
There are two different ranges of wines, clearly defined by their labels: the ‘classic’ label with some sulfites added and the natural label with no sulfites. I encourage everyone to discover both as they are complementary. I would even argue that the classic range is sometimes more interesting thanks to its longer aging. Domaine Capmartin defines quality wines as wines that reflect their terroir, without defaults or flaws and can last several days once opened. To obtain quality wines most are slightly filtered.
The ‘Classic’ Wines
In the classic range, the whites were not really my style, a bit too short and too sharp, maybe from too much sulfites. On the other hand, the reds from the classic range are my favorite wines from the Domaine.
L’instant is the entry level red made from 100% Tannat exposed to the north and harvested earlier than the others. The goal of harvesting earlier is to have more fresh fruit aromas in the wine, as opposed to more jammy fruit aromas that come from Tannat grapes that have been picked later. It’s medium-bodied and is a wine for all occasions with a good balance between fruit and tannins.
The higher cuvees are fermented in big cement tanks with open tops. Thanks to these open tops, no pump over is done but only a bit of gentle pigeage or punch down. The goal of this is to keep from extracting too many tannins, which is key to the balance and freshness of the wines. The wine is then aged for 24 months in 500 liters barrels, followed by another 6 months in cement tanks. Note that bigger barrels are used to avoid an oaky taste in the wine. The smaller the barrel, the more wine is in contact with the wood and the oakier the wine can get. (Many other details come into play like the age or the toastiness of the barrel).
I really loved the Cuvee du Couvent which is also made from 100% Tannat on limestone and clay soil. It is a full-bodied wine but delicate with very elegant tannins and a great length. Such a beautiful Madiran!
The Natural Wines
Four years ago Simon started making a second range of wines with no sulfites added and less aging. This range is meant to be more glouglou or easy drinking. In my opinion, they are well made but are trying a little too hard to be easy drinking, sacrificing a bit the identity of the Domaine in the process. But, it’s a beginning and I have no doubt that they will find their way through trial and error. In the natural range, many wines were out of stock but we still managed to taste a few.
Adrenaline is a 100% Petit Manseng, half of the wine is aged in barrels and the other half in tank before being blended back together. It’s easy drinking, and pretty round with still a certain sharpness. Pimpant is a super glouglou and fruity blend of Syrah and Tannat. Coucou is the natural Madiran. It contains 80% Tannat and 20% Cabernet and is aged 12 months in a cement tank. It’s a concentrated wine with jammy aromas but still pretty balanced.
Last Words on Domaine Capmartin and Where to Eat
It was really interesting to meet Simon and to discover Domaine Capmartin. It was fun to talk about his down to earth, no BS approach to making the best wines possible. And it’s not just talk, the Domaine Capmartin makes some of the best wines in Madiran in my opinion. Their limestone and clay soil combined with gentle tannin extraction and long aging gives amazing results.
I can’t end this post without talking about food. Simon gave us a great restaurant tip and sent us to the Relais d’Aydie. This hotel and restaurant doesn’t look like much from the outside but the food is really good. For pretty cheap, you can eat local specialties like garbure or duck and taste the delicious homemade french fries!
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P.S. For more Southwest of France wineries, check out Chateau Lafitte: Natural Sweet Wines in Jurançon
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