2024 Mary Taylor Olivier Gessler White, Cotes de Gascogne, France

50% Colombard, 20% Ugni Blanc, 20% Gros Manseng, 10% Sauvignon IGP Côtes de Gascogne shares the same land surface as Armagnac, in the beautiful French Southwest. The Gessler family settled here, in the heart of Bas-Armagnac, in 1928. They’re now on the 4th generation – a robust family business with 20 full time employees. This is one of the more thoughtfully farmed properties – registered HVE 3 and in organic conversion. They tend to indigenous varietals such as Colombard, Ugni Blanc, and Gros Manseng, from which this wine is made. Bordering the enormous Landes pine forest and wedged between the Atlantic and the Pyreneés, the vines breathe pure air and oceanic winds mixed with a warm foehn wind from the Saharan Desert. Colombard is the offspring of Chenin Blanc and Gouais Blanc. This makes the grape the sibling of the Armagnac Meslier-Saint-François and the nearly extinct Cognac grape Balzac blanc. Tart and fruity Ugni Blanc is also known as Trebbiano. Gros Manseng is a dry varietal fo