Jurançon is an appellation in south west France, near the town of Pau, making both sweet and dry white wines (Jurançon and Jurançon Sec, respectively).
The wines have been celebrated since the middle ages, and it is claimed that Jurançon wine appellation was in force as long ago as the late 14th Century, with the best vineyard areas identified and valued by the princes of Béarn and the parliament of Navarre for taxation purposes. This would make it the world's very first appellation, although similar claims have been made on behalf of Tokaj in Hungary and Portugal's Douro Valley. The wines were very popular with the Dutch and were also exported to the Atlantic colonies until the local industry was ravaged by phylloxera in the late 19th century.
The appellation was certainly one of the first to be included when France formalized its Appelation Contrôlée system in 1936. It currently consists of 1,000 hectares of vines in 40 square kilometres and 25 communes in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department.
The two principal wine grape varieties grown in the region, and the ones used in the sweet wines are Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng. Dry wines are mainly made with Gros Manseng but may include Petit Manseng and also the other permitted grapes Courbu Blanc, Petit Courbu, Camaralet de Lasseube, and Lauzet. Grapes for Jurançon Sec are usually picked in early October.
Sweet wines are made from Gros Manseng picked when golden in late October or early November, and Petit Manseng which is left on the vine until late November or later, to shrivel in the sun and the dry warm föhn winds tumbling down from the Pyrenées. The climate is otherwise influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, and is slightly wetter than Gaillac and Fronton a little further inland.
The soils here are largely alluvial (clay and sand), but drier, clay-free limestone can also be found at higher elevations. Some vineyards (generally those situated lower down towards the rivers) contain a noticeable quantity of sedimentary rocks known locally as poudingues. These are named after the old English steamed fruit 'pudding', which they resemble in shape and weight.
Confusingly, the grape varieties Jurançon Blanc and Jurançon Noir, while still planted in south west France (the former is very rare), are not used in the appellation.
