In the Cradle of Malbec: The Wines of Cahors’ Top Producer in Four Notes. (8-Bottle Pack $280, Tax Included)

The Cahors AOP was created exclusively for red wines crafted from Malbec grapes, and unlike much of Southern France (where many grape varieties equate to a multitude of styles) Cahors has largely remained a one-trick pony, fully capable of elevating its pony to sensational heights. Law permits Tannat and Merlot in measured quantities, but only to shore up wine structure and to add a bit of spicy softness. Malbec—here called ‘Auxerrois’—must make up at least 70% of any blend. Cabernet Sauvignon is neither allowed nor needed; the viticultural area of Cahors is situated along a tightly meandering section of the Lot River where the climate is both warmer and drier than in Bordeaux, allowing Malbec to reach full phenolic ripeness. When Jérémy Arnaud took over the Cahors winegrowers’ association ‘Union Interprofessionelle du Vin de Cahors’ in 2006, he discovered three distinct styles being produced in Cahors and turned them into a successful, if unofficial, marketing tool: The basic tier (‘Tradition’) is unoaked wine containing up to 85% Malbec, with lesser contributions from Merlot and Tannat. ‘Puissants et Gourmands’ is 85%–100% Malbec, generally aged in older oak, with corresponding flavors drawn more from the fruit than the barrel. The top of the pyramid, ‘Intenses et Complexes’, is pure Malbec aged in oak of various sizes and ages.

Château du Cèdre

Ninety minutes east of Bordeaux’s famed Garonne River and at equal distances from the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees, Château du Cèdre sits on a triad of terroirs, each capable of producing distinct and idiosyncratic Cahors wines. Founded in 1973 by Léon Verhaeghe, the estate nestles within a microclimate that enjoys an Atlantic-influence maritime climate through June, then shifts to a Mediterranean climate throughout the ripening season. Elevation also helps—Château du Cèdre has planted vines to the highest elevations in Cahors. In 1988, due to health concerns, Léon’s son Charles turned the operation over to his own sons Pascal and Jean-Marc, who have introduced a number of contemporary philosophies to a domain they quickly realized was without parallel in Cahors.

Says Pascal, who studied viticulture and winemaking both in Burgundy and in Napa: “Our 27 hectares are divided into three islets on two of the best types of soils in the appellation, notably the famous third terrace. One is clay-limestone, located on a cone of limestone scree, so it is very stony and gives wines of great finesse. The other is pebbles mixed with reddish sands, silicas and clays, suitable for the most powerful of the Cahors.”

Indeed, Château du Cèdre is widely regarded not only as the most reliable estate in Cahors, but one of the most innovative—a dynamic that has been helped along by Pascal’s sons Jules and Robin, who have joined the family business. Recognizing that the traditional chemicals used in viticulture likely contributed to their father’s early death, Pascal and Jean-Marc began to move away from artificial pesticides and fertilizers from the moment they took over the estate.

Château du Cèdre 8-Bottle Pack $280 (tax included) contains two of each of the following four wines:

2014 Cahors – ‘Le Cèdre’ ($54) Pascal Verhaeghe refers to 2014 as ‘a classical vintage’, meaning it was neither too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry. A gentle September allowed a long maturation period for grapes on the vine, and this classical vintage produced a classical Cahors, fully ripe and brimming with black plum and wild raspberry, complex and mature with saddle leather, grilled mushrooms and hints of earth. 100% Malbec, the tannins have softened, but still lend structure and the wine retains a nice lift of acidity.

2018 Cahors – ‘Cèdre Héritage” ($18) A richly textured wine, mostly Malbec with a bit of Merlot in the blend providing mocha and plum, but there is an undercurrent of complexity that offers charry toast and a warming, smooth and a sensational mouthfeel almost like caramel. There are dark and smoky aromas of baked berry, licorice and minty menthol burrowing beneath the surface, and a good base of acidity to leave the palate clean.

• • • Natural Wine vs. Organic Wine • • •

Château du Cèdre was Certified Organic in 2012, and since then has worked aggressively and diligently to also eliminate additives from their process. All wines from the estate are fermented with indigenous yeasts and sulfur is kept to an absolute minimum. In 2014 they created the ‘Extra Libre’ label: Natural Wine with no added sulfur at all. Château du Cèdre now produces three natural wines, each with a direct parallel to an estate wine. These wines are made from the same parcels of fruit as the regular selection, and then matured on lees in large oak casks for 12 months, 18 months and 24 months respectively—all without sulfur. Pascal considers them a triumph in the category of Natural Wine, and sulfur-free wines now make up about half of the estates production. “Personally,” says Pascal, “what I enjoy is a matter of mood; on some occasions I crave an all-natural wine, and on others, I am more tolerant of small amounts of sulfite. One thing I can say through experience, though: Although natural wines from Cahors may age differently from the rest, ours have the body and the tannic structure to improve for eight, perhaps ten years. But in their youth, these wines are extremely approachable and full of ripe, exuberant fruit.”

2018 Cahors ($29) (Organic)Judicious use of sulfur dioxide leads to a solid, quintessential Cahors; aged on lees in 500-liter barrels and larger size foudres, the wine is allowed to evolve freely under ideal temperature and humidity. It is an assertive mouthful with blackberry cobbler and dusty earth notes, lightly oaked, with a touch of black pepper and vanilla on the finish.

 • • •  vs. • • • 

2019 Cahors – ‘Extra Libre’ – Élevé 12 Mois – ($31) (Natural) The same cépage is used in ‘Extra Libre’ as was used in Cahors 2018, only this one is sulfur-free. Pascal recommends drinking his Vins Naturels anywhere from within two months of release to as much as a decade of cellaring, but in its youth, he promises, this wine will express genuine freshness behind a solid core of bramble fruit, cassis, truffles, dark chocolate and spice.

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Posted on 2021.06.29 in France, South West