Domaine Tariquet is located in Eauze, in the heart of Gascony in the South-West of France. The estate has been owned by the Grassa family since 1912.
The fact that Tariquet wines and Bas-Armagnacs brandies have been acclaimed with the best of their class is due largely to the boldness of one man. Yves Grassa, now an internationally renowned winemaker from Gascony, began 25 years ago by breaking the rules of traditional winemaking, proposing white wines that were consistently characterised by a fresh finesse and fruity elegance. He was the first in the region to dare to plant chardonnay, sauvignon or chenin grapes, which were far from popular in those days. Worse still, he conjured up combinations of sworn enemies such as chardonnay with sauvignon, or chenin with chardonnay. The Tariquet style was born of contemplation, rebellion and reason, followed by continuous observation and improvement. Both in the vineyard, and in the wine cellar, as only a true winemaker makes wine in the midst of his vineyard. Defying his detractors, Yves Grassa took on the challenge of producing white wine and was duly rewarded for his work by being selected as Wine of The Year in England, in 1987.
