Domaine Sergent  Cuvée Vieilles Vignes  2001, A.C. Madiran. **HERITAGE WINE**

Colour: opaque black red-purple.
Nose: very intense, compact, powerful, with a myriad of ripe and complex fruit nuances (brambles, cherries), well balanced classic oaky nuances, some freshness, very interesting, and clear style, a touch of spice, still very young and with lots of promise.
Taste: powerful, nice concentration, very ripe, spicy fruit, supple, relatively low acidity, rich alcohol, many ripe tannins with just a touch of austerity, many nuances, but not (yet) complex or deep.  Still young (fruit) but not hard or tough.
Finish: moderately long, good fruit, some spices, obvious tannins, mild acidity, a touch of dryness at the end.

* A relatively soft and richly fruity Madiran with power, intensity, beautiful complex fruit (brambles, cherries), a touch of spice, very well dosed classical oak, made of very ripe and healthy grapes, providing a generous amount of ripe and strong tannins in combination with a mild acidity.

- This wine is still very young, showing its ripe and complex fruit beautifully, will close up, I suspect from mid 2005 and come back more earthy and spicy from 2006. Will not keep infinitely because its relatively low acidity, drink before 2008

- Domaine de Sergent is a producer of mainly black Madirans but is also quite successful with their dry and sweet (white) Pacherenc du Vic Bilh. This is the prestige Madiran, made from old vines from the best parts of the vineyards. A well crafted wine in which the interesting fruit of the Tannat grape is emphasized and the wood is supportive. The rustic tannins of this grape are kept in check.  Made of ca. 90% Tannat and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in barriques during 12 months. 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 2.1

- tasted: 13-10-’04  same bottle remained in good condition during a week.

- estimated retail price ca. 9,50 euro per bottle

- average production: ca. 15.000 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