Domaine De Crampilh l’Originel 2016

Grapes: Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Madiran, France

Farming: Sustainable

Le Crampilh is the name of the family country house isolated on top of a hill by the Larcis River in Aurions. The estate dates from the late 1800’s, after Melanie Crampilh married Sabin Oulié, mayor of the village at the time. He started utilizing their windmill and then the land, and then gave his wife’s name to the estate. Today it is run by Marie and Bruno Oulié, the fourth generation of the family. Phylloxera nearly wiped out the vineyards in Madiran, but since the 1950’s the region’s prosperity increased the AOP’s plantings from from just 100 acres to over 3,750, planted on hillsides on a wide variety of soils. Crampilh is mainly comprised of clayish, silica, and chalky soils. Grapes are hand-harvested, usually during the Indian summer, with 100% destemming and 21 day macerations. Wines are aged on average 18 months with regular micro-oxygenation. Natural viticulturalist Bruno Oulie creates a classic yet approachable Madiran out of his 30+ year-old Tannat vines.