Nestled in the southwest corner of France, in the ‘land of plenty’, lie the vineyards of Plaimont – stretching from the foothills of the Pyrenees to the rolling hills of Gascony. A major player in the region and owning many of the finest local chateaux and estates, it is their focus on plant heritage and reviving near-extinct varieties like Manseng Noir and Tardif that really sets them apart. 

It all started in 1979, when Andre Dubosc convinced the three wine cooperatives of Plaisance, Aignan and Saint Mont to join forces and set up a united wine producing group, naming themselves Plaimont – a portmanteau of the three. His actions were transformative for the southwestern region: up until that point, the grapes were grown mainly for Armagnac production. 

Today the group has blossomed into a 5,000ha company with over 1,000 growers, contributing grapes for an array of white, red and rosé wines. Their plant heritage – including their Ampelographic Conservatory and Historic Monument vineyard of Sarragachies – is the real living legacy of Plaimont, earning them the Old Vine Hero Research Award in 2025. After establishing the largest private conservatory of grape varieties in France in 2002, the team curated a collection of lambrusques – or ‘wild vines’ – and indigenous grape varieties, including eight unknown ancestral varieties.