Grape: Merlot
Region: Cotes de Gascogne, France

Distributor's Notes:

"The Domaine de Guillaman is a wine estate that lies in Gascony on hillsides and has been in the Ferret family for six generations. A passion for the grape has long run in the family: Albert Ferret, the fourth-generation owner, passed on his own devotion to his grand-son Dominique, on an estate that had hitherto been entirely dedicated to the making of armagnac. Dominique, who was equally passionate and was also proud to be able to maintain the fine family history, took over the management of the property from a very young age, and decided to change direction in choosing to make high-quality white wines. These are marketed as Côtes de Gascogne, which now enjoy a protected geographical status. To do this, Dominique re-vamped entirely the existing 15 hectares of vines, increased the area under cultivation and renovated the wine-making cellar. These major works took more than ten years. As independent wine-makers, Dominique and his wife Stéphanie, who is the grand-daughter of wine-makers, have decided to handle the commercial side of the business themselves, on the estate. They gained an early distinction with their Colombard Ugni Blanc 2000 blend, which won a gold medal at the Concours Général Agricole in Paris, and helped to set things in motion and underpin the growth of the estate – in 2013 some 700,000 bottles will have been sold across France, in northern Europe and in the US. The wines of the Domaine de Guillaman are regularly selected in leading guidebooks on wine and gastronomy and each year win medals at national wine competitions. These awards equally allow both consumers and professionals to appreciate the consistency of the estate's production, and are a just reward for the passionate yet rigorous approach to quality and innovation that Dominique and Stéphanie take."