Domaine Sergent  Cuvée Tradition  2002, A.C. Madiran. **HERITAGE WINE**

Colour: very deep and dark red (nearly black) with purple.
Nose: loads of delicious juicy, earthy fruit (brambles, blueberries, etc. ), very ripe, even a hint of sweetness, a bit sombre, many nuances, not complex, excellent fruit expression, clean, ripe and earthy style.
Taste: quite powerful, medium bodied, loads of earthy, ripe, black fruit, good acidity, quite a few tannins, some rusticity, lacking a bit in juiciness (charnu), good concentration, very clean, typically South-Western France styled earthy spicy fruit character.
Finish: quite intense, clear and ample tannins, some acidity and again beautiful earthy fruit, a touch rustic but not unpleasant.

* Intense and beautiful earthy fruit, strong tannins, freshness and a interesting and delicious regional character: a very good basic Madiran with the emphasis on fruit and balance, rather than on power and rustic extracted tannins. Inky dark, begging for rich food, a nice combination of modern elegance and regional rusticity.

- This wine is delicious now, will probably improve a bit until 2006, will probably keep up to 2008. Will not gain much in complexity, but will lose its attractive fruit in the end.

- Domaine de Sergent is a producer of mainly black Madirans but is also quite successful with their (white) Pacherenc du Vic Bilh. This is the basic Madiran, a well crafted wine in which the interesting fruit of the Tannat grape is emphasized and the rustic tannins of this grape are kept in check.  Made of ca. 70% Tannat, 15% Cabernet Franc and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. No wood maturation. Compared with other Madirans, the wines of Dom. Sergent all have lots of character, good balance and beautiful fruit. They are in a sense rustic, that is to say they express the terroir and grapes, but they are a far cry from the old fashioned super tough and nearly undrinkable muddy Madirans. Clear and clean fruit are the core of these wines as are the strong and spicy tannins.  An unknown producer: serious, modest and kind people, working hard to produce very good to excellent wines. A most underrated producer, very highly recommended.
 

- lotnr.: L 1.1

- tasted: 13-10-’04  same bottle after 1 week still in good condition, more fruity, a bit softer.

- estimated retail price ca. 7,00 euro per bottle

- average production: ca. 40.000 bottles

- Domaine Sergent, Famille Dousseau, 32400 Maumusson, France, Tel.: + 33-562 69 74 93 ; Fax.: + 33 562 69 75 85 ; e-mail: b.dousseau@32.sideral.fr