If you aren't yet acquainted with the Côtes du Marmandais, you're in the right place! Elian Da Ros was the one of the first wine makers to leave the area's cooperative in 1997, when he struck out on his own to make wine on his own terms. The appellation now counts 8 producers among its number and has begun to see some real success. Not far from Bordeaux, this region in the South-West is distinguished by its climate, its terroirs and its grape varieties, most notably Abouriou.
This winemaker is the grandson of an Italian migrant who came to France when farms were in need of labourers, and the family gradually bought their own land. Elian's father dedicated himself to vine-growing, which gave Elian a taste for that world from an early age. He formed his desire to make wine soon after and this goal never left him. Trained at Domaine Zind Humbrecht in Alsace, he returned to the family land in 1997. He left the cooperative, buying some new vines and selling others, before building his winery. His wines very quickly made their way to the top of the appellation, flavoursome and characterised by beautiful fruit.

This cuvée is a white wine among all the delicious reds produced by this wine maker in the South-West. Cocumont means “cuckoo hill” in the local dialect, since cuckoos like to build their nests in the sloping village. This cuvée is made up of 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Sauvignon Gris and 30% Sémillon. The vines are planted in a clay-gravel soil on a sub-soil of blue marl. Once the grapes are harvested by hand, they undergo two different sorting sessions. They are then slowly pressed before a vinification and maturation that takes 19 months in foudres and oval, concrete vats. Opening this bottle, you’ll find a rather atypical wine that might remind you of the white cuvées produced in Alsace. This is perhaps the five years Elain spent at Zind Humbrecht coming through…