Jurancon is a historic appellation south of the city of Pau in the western foothills of the Pyrenees Mountans that form the border with France and Spain. The vines are grown on very steep slopes and the cool maritime climate is moderated by a persistent dry, warm wind known as the "foehn." This wind allows grapes destined to become dessert wines to be harvested very late in the season and concentrated without rot.

The region produces both dry and sweet white wines from four main grape varieties. Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng, and Petit Courbu typically produce the dry wines while Petit Manseng is used for the sweet wines. There are four classifications of Jurancon. The base Jurancon is semi-sweet and will typically have about 3.5% residual sugar, Jurancon "Sec" is fully dry, and Jurancon "Moelleux" or "Vendanges Tardives" are true dessert wines. (Wine/Appellations)