Recently, Elie Wine Co. had the good fortune of hosting author, speaker, wine educator and videographer Dr. Matt Horkey, who was kind to film a segment for his YouTube channel right here in the shop. Entitled ‘Why is French Wine so Intimidating?’ he explored the evolving tastes of consumers (and himself) when it comes to the world’s most heralded wine region.
Although the question Dr. Matt asks is personally rhetorical (he is something of an expert on the subject of French wine), the video was a good chance for us to rehash some of the common misconceptions and stereotypes that the average consumer may have, and it was an opportunity for me to hone my approach to wine lovers who are looking to expand both their knowledge and experience in the world of French wine.
Dr. Matt is on a crusade to make wine fun and non-intimidating: “Wine is a treasure hunt, and we should treat it like that,” Dr. Matt maintains during our 42-minute video segment. “The fun is in the search, the process, not just in finding the best wine.”
Dr. Matt, who has a particular love for small producers and limited run wines, found plenty to love on our shelves, since finding and making these gems available is a large part of our mission statement.
Subscribe to his YouTube channel and check out the interview along with numerous other excellent wine videos.
https://youtu.be/LwAqnzQgqvw?si=O1-qFQLHGv1pPAIL
Had ‘Steinbeck’ been ‘Malbec’, his grapes might have had less wrath. Forgive the awful pun, but within the world of Malbec, the more you take things seriously, the more perplexing the curve-ball seems to be. The mainstay of its natural home in Southwest France, Malbec found greener commercial pastures a hemisphere away in Argentina—a country that now produces ten times as much Malbec as Cahors. And in Malbec’s home field, land remains dirt cheap compared to much of French wine country; a hectare of land will go for $10,000 whereas in Burgundy, you could add a couple zeros to that figure and still come up short.
And yet, of Cahors’ 50,000 arable vineyard acres, four-fifths lie fallow.
This week’s recent arrival package highlights a pair of remarkable winemakers who have helped Cahors rise above itself and its somewhat flagging reputation—a casualty of wars, frost and consumer tastes. Fifteen years ago, Matthieu Cosse and Catherine Maisonneuve took over a 12-acre estate in Prayssac, a short distance from Cahors, planted with old vines of Malbec, and set out to make wines that are the antithesis of the rustic image of the region. Their portfolio of wines has proven to be uncommonly elegant and round, a ‘renaissance’ style that Cosse and Maisonneuve credit, in part, to climate change, which has brought to the Cahors’ limestone uplands greater vintage regularity.
“Marginal sites here may still produce acidic Malbec wines, even if picked into October,” says Cosse, “but the shifting tides of climate are greening up the pastures of Cahors.”
How France’s fifth-largest winegrowing region remains one of its least known (and mostly underappreciated) is another mystery. Tucked away between the Pyrenees mountains in the South, Bordeaux in the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, France’s ‘Hidden Corner’ has twice as many vineyards as Burgundy and boasts some of France’s most beautiful countryside with vineyards scattered across rolling fields and picturesque river valleys.
Roughly divided into four sub-regions, each area has its own personality and unique wine profile: Bergerac and Dordogne, which specializes in dry white blends, full-bodied reds and sweet dessert wines; the Pyrenees, known for rustic Tannat, the variety that dominates the area’s most renowned appellation, Madiran; Garonne and Tarn, famous more for breathtaking scenery that top shelf wine and Lot, home to the incomparable Malbec-based ‘Black Wines’ of Cahors.
While the Colorado River was busy carving out the Grand Canyon, a similar, if slightly less dramatic geological phenomenon was happening in Southwest France, where the Lot River was at work creating the Lot Valley, where, instead of leaving behind a big hole, there are steeped terraces ideal for vine cultivation. The terroir of Cahors is loosely defined by the differing soil types and the exposures created by these terraces.
The Plateau, referred to ‘les Causses’, lies at an elevation of nearly a thousand feet; it contains the Kimmeridgian limestone also found in Chablis and parts of Champagne. In addition, this area holds layers of iron rich clays with sporadic patches of rare blue clay, lending structure and energy to the wines. Below that, the Fourth Terrace, at an average elevation of 788 feet, offers a mix of limestone scree and ancient alluvial soils from the river, creating wines with bright red fruit and rustic earthiness. The Third Terrace is closer to the river, and at an average elevation of 558 feet it is primarily composed of clay, sand and the famous ‘galets roulés’ which imbue the wines with bold, black fruit and supple tannins, adding roundness in the way that Merlot softens Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux.
Individually, their pedigrees are impressive: Matthieu, Domaine Cosse et Maisonneuve’s winemaker, is a graduate of the Institute of Enology in Bordeaux, and Catherine, the oenologist, holds a BTS viticulture and oenology from Blanquefort. Together, Matthieu and Catherine make magic. In 1999, they took over a 12-acre estate of old Malbec vines in Prayssac, a short distance from Cahors, and set out to make wines intended to transcend the rustic image of Cahors. Their first vintage was ‘Les Laquets’ and they shortly expanded the range to include separate cuvées intended to reflect the identity of the different terroirs of the estate.
Says Catherine: “Wine is the ambassador of a terroir and a winemaker is the interpreter. Thus, to obtain perfect grapes that will clearly express the qualities of the Cahors terroir, everything in the vineyard must be natural.”
As such, they are certified organic by Ecocert and farm their vineyards biodynamically with a plan to become Demeter certified as well. Everything done in the vineyard aims at building of balanced soils to produce optimal conditions for ripening the grapes and making harmonious, aromatically complex and precise wines. Today, Domaine Cosse et Maisonneuve totals 42 acres planted predominantly to Malbec, with small amounts of Merlot and Tannat.
All plots are situated in primary locations on the gravel and clay Third Terrace above the Lot River.
1 Domaine Cosse et Maisonneuve ‘Solis’, 2019 Cahors ($16)
Cosse et Maisonneuve puts a new twist on the old school wines of Cahors, relishing in a style that is precise and elegant, smooth and aerial. Produced from a 25-acre plot in the commune of Mauroux from the ‘lightest’ section of the terrace dominated with gravel and alluvial sediment, it was de-stemmed and vinified in vats to preserve its velvety character. It shows pure varietal aromas and flavors of blueberry and violet behind silky tannins, with hints of herbs in the finish. An exceptionally high quality wine for the price, from some of the most meticulously farmed vineyards in the region.
2 Domaine Cosse et Maisonneuve, 2021 ‘Le Combal’ Cahors ($22)
A beautiful example of the ‘new’ Cahors—a finer-grained and elegant Malbec which sacrifices none of the variety’s iron-scented power and structure of traditional Cahors, but focuses on fruit. Black currant and cherry shine through notes of pipe smoke, clay and bitter herbs with tannins that are woven through without a sense of dominance.
3 Domaine Cosse et Maisonneuve, 2021 ‘La Fage’ Cahors ($26)
Still in the bloom of youth, ‘La Fage’ has nose lush with macerated black currant, blackberry and plum. The mouth-coating tannins may require a little more time to settle in, but it is on its way—cellar this wine or drink it tonight with a well-marbled piece of beef.
4 Domaine Cosse et Maisonneuve ‘Les Laquets’, 2019 Cahors ($45)
A perfect representation of the Cosse/Maisonneuve style—elegant, complex and biodynamic, from vines that are over fifty years old. The palate is dense yet sleek, with notes of blackberry, fennel and iris behind grippy tannins. 2019 was an extraordinary vintage with superb aging potential.
5 Domaine Cosse et Maisonneuve, 2022 ‘Cheval en Tête’ VdF Southwest-Cahors Blanc ($18) WHITE
70% Ugni Blanc, and a 30% blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The wine shows bright grapefruit-infused bitters along with floral and honey notes, finishing with a slight smokiness that resolves in a citrus bite.
Notebook …
Same grape, different day. When, in the mid-nineteenth century, French agronomist Miguel Pouget was hired by the governor of Mendoza to create a training program for winemakers in Argentina, he brought along 120 French varietals. Of them, one proved to be a first among equals.
In France, Malbec tends to be a problem child as it particularly susceptible to frost and dampness. In Argentina, growing Malbec proved to be almost too easy: By 1944, when Argentina had over 250,000 acres of vines planted, half of them were Malbec. At the time, the general population of the South American country preferred quaffable table wines, and a lot of Malbec wound up as a supplement to add color and aroma to native grapes, called ‘criollas.’
As tastes evolved, so did Malbec. Today, Argentine Malbec has smaller grapes and tighter bunches than the type grown in Cahors, and the flavor profile is markedly different. It turns out that Malbec enjoys the heat, and thrives on the unique minerals in Argentine soils as well as the cooling air flowing down from the snow-capped Andes Mountains. The wines are less ‘sledgehammer’ and more plummy and fruit-forward than their French counterparts, which tend to be austere and astringent in their youth, maturing to showcase a leathery, savory bitterness often highlighted by black pepper and spice.
And as the French are fond of saying, “Vive la différence.”
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Posted on 2024.10.03 in Cahors, France, Wine-Aid Packages