Plaimont: Preserving the wisdom of the past – to shape the wines of the future

Rather than merely watching the future unfold, Plaimont’s ethos is one of hope and possibility, founded on the belief that the answers to today’s winemaking and viticultural challenges lie in pairing modern technology with previous generations’ ancestral knowledge of the land and its vines.

Although the fruits of Plaimont’s efforts are ultimately seen in its wines, this ‘cooperative of cooperatives’ is equally focused on the natural and human resources that make them possible. Today, Plaimont brings together 600 families managing a total of 5,300ha across IGP Côtes de Gascogne, AOC Saint Mont, AOC Madiran, AOC Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh and AOC Jurançon. Plaimont’s work – and identity – is based on a collective effort to preserve and reinterpret the terroir of the French Pyrenees and its local varieties.

The famed monastery of the village of Saint-Mont

Looking back – and thinking ahead

In their quest, Plaimont producers have been prescient, anticipating many of the trends and challenges that have dominated the wine world in recent decades. Their approach and philosophy has been equally pioneering, combining research with a pragmatic, holistic understanding of environmental and social sustainability.

At Plaimont, all work is done with two timescales in mind – ‘tomorrow and the long-term,’ says Olivier Bourdet-Pees, managing director and head winemaker at Plaimont: ‘We need to have a viable business model, and make wines that people want to buy and drink, whilst also preserving our land and heritage for future generations.’

Bourdet-Pees explains how Plaimont’s guiding strategy has allowed it to tackle – and to an extent avoid – many of the issues producers are elsewhere only now beginning to address: water shortages, rising alcohol levels and changes in consumer demand. ‘The answer to many of these challenges is to be found in the past – in the wines our grandfathers produced and drank,’ continues Bourdet-Pees.

Olivier Bourdet-Pees, managing director and head winemaker at Plaimont

Trust in the land

To this end, Plaimont has focused attention and resources on extensive ampelographic research – much of which the cooperative has led and funded itself. By identifying and propagating ancestral varieties – once avoided due to their lower yields and difficult, late ripening – Plaimont has carefully selected a palette of grapes particularly well-suited to the viticultural demands of climate change.

Varieties such as Manseng Noir, Tardif, Arrufiac and Pinenc deliver a natural balance of alcohol, fruit and acid. At home in the French Pyrenees, these cépages show adaptivity and require fewer resources than some of their international counterparts, while also encapsulating Plaimont’s landscape and history.

‘We are able to produce drinkable, fresh wines that are naturally moderate in alcohol,’ explains Bourdet-Pees, ‘We have great belief in our terroir and indigenous varieties.’ This trust in the land is coupled with the unwavering sense of community that makes Plaimont a social project as much as a pioneering winemaking venture.

Plaimont treasures its historic local varieties

Eight Plaimont wines to try

Novel, Pacherenc du Vic-Bihl Sec 2023
93pts
This Plaimont classic shows yet another vintage marked by elegant savouriness, delicious texture and great ageing potential. Expressive and assertive on the mid-palate, with ample, fleshy flavours of honey-glazed almonds, russet apples and pear peel. A perfect companion for cheese platters.
Drink 2025-2035 | Alc 14%

Projoe, Saint Mont 2022
92pts
Aged in 5,000L oak foudres, this smart blend of Petit Courbu and Gros Manseng has a luscious, creamy texture, making it a moreish, very gastronomic wine. Lemon curd, yellow apple, ripe pear and frangipane fill the unctuous palate. Fragrant notes of dry white flowers, hay and linden linger on the persistent finish.
Drink 2025-2027 | Alc 13.5%

Yura, Jurançon Sec 2023
92pts
The first vintage of…