If the name of this picturesque corner of southwest France conjures up the rustic ‘black wines’ of tradition, then look again: times have been changing, and wine styles with them, in the homeland of Malbec
France – renowned in the past for sturdy, traditional, long-lived, darkcoloured red wines – is benefiting from a new wave of independent winemakers who are applying the latest approaches to viticulture and vinification to the complex geology of the Lot valley.
Today, there are many different styles coming out of Cahors, famed as the home of the Malbec grape.
They range from bright, fruit-focused, early-drinking wines to those capable of extended ageing. Rustic tannins and the heavy use of oak have been replaced with a defter touch, and alternative maturation vessels such as amphorae, acacia wood and limestone tanks are now much more in evidence.
Cahors is unusual for a French wine region, given its reliance on a single appellation and wine style(dry red), combined with the dominance of Malbec, known locally as Côt, or Auxerrois or Pessac. By whichever name, the grape is perhaps Cahors’ greatest strength, yet also a major weakness.
Driven by the popularity of weighty, deep-coloured, fruit-driven wines from Mendoza in Argentina, ‘Brand Malbec’ is now so strong that it’s understandable that many consumers expect the wines of Cahors to be similar in style.
Although a few estates in Cahors have attempted to mimic the Mendoza Malbec style, the complexity of geology, soil types and winemaking philosophies is now resulting in a diversity of exciting, vibrant and good-value wines.
A recent blind tasting revealed that it would be far too simplistic to label a particular estate as ‘traditional’ or ‘modern’. Many produce a range of wines that display the full breadth of styles that the Côt of Cahors can provide.
A question of terroir
The Cahors region is located on the southwestern edge of the Massif Central, lying to the east of the greater Bordeaux region. The dominant geological features here are the alluvial terraces of the meandering Lot valley, and the limestone plateau that rises on either side of this river valley. The evolution of the latter’s many graceful curves has resulted in a variety of soil types. The first terrace, lying closest to the river, is home to young, fertile soils, often dominated by sand, which promote fruity, early-drinking wines.
The second terrace, composed of shallower soils with pebbles and clay, produces wines with more intensity; while the third terrace combines claysilica soil with a higher proportion of limestone as elevations increase. The terraces range from 90m to 250m; above them (up to 350m) lie the vineyards on the limestone plateau (causse). Here, a greater proportion of Kimmeridgian clay marls results in wines that show freshness and minerality, while pockets of iron-rich clay add power and weight.
Yet the blind tasting also showed that it’s misleading to pigeonhole a wine simply on the basis of soil type. It’s the complex interplay of the different elements of terroir that generates the wide variety that Cahors offers.
Sébastien Bernède (above, vice president of the Cahors wine syndicate, as well as winemaker at the substantial 100ha estate Clos La Coutale) proudly highlights some of his vineyards situated on red sand. ‘These are soils from the Massif Central, just like those of Château Rayas [in Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the southern Rhône],’ he says. ‘Like Rayas, you can make great wines here on sand.’
While Clos La Coutale is a relatively traditional estate, a striking contrast is provided by the youthful figure of Fabien Jouves at Mas del Périé.
His estate is located high on the limestone plateau southwest of the town of Cahors. Jouves is viewed as a champion of natural wines, but even this label is far too simplistic.
Mas del Périé produces wines with immediacy and freshness, combined with depth of colour and lingering purity. One of the lightest wines tasted (Jouves’ Les Acacias; see p83) comes from 40-yearold Côt vines on limestone-rich soil interspersed with deposits of iron, and combines power with drinkability, yet is only 11.5% alcohol.
Cahors has been a significant wine-producing region since the Middle Ages, often commanding a higher reputation for its wines than those of Bordeaux.
Deep in colour, the wines were revered in the UK, as well as by Pope John XXII – a native of the Lot.
Subsequently, Cahors became associated with the name ‘black wine’ – a reference to a time when grapes were baked in ovens for concentration, before being blended to bolster paler, lighter wines.
The region prospered for several centuries before increasing commercial pressure from Bordeaux merchants and cheaper wines from the Midi region compromised the wine trade.
In the late 19th century, phylloxera ravaged the region, a calamity from which it didn’t recover for 100 years. What could have been the final straw came with the great frost of February 1956, which almost completely destroyed what was left of the vines. In the subsequent replanting, Côt’s dominance increased.
Following the granting of AP status in 1971, Cahors maintained its reputation for structured, sturdy, long-lived red wines that spend considerable time in oak and require lengthy bottle ageing. Under the AP rules, wines must be made from at least 70% Côt; Merlot and Tannat are also permitted, the latter adding further concentration. Today, most of the top wines are 100% Côt, still with plenty of depth of colour, a violet-driven perfume and flavours of blackberry and cherry.
Initially driven by inspirational producers such as Jean-Luc Baldès of Clos Triguedina, as well as significant investment from outsiders such as Alain-Dominique Perrin (Château Lagrézette), the quality of Cahors has been on a steep upward curvefor several decades. This process has been accelerated with the arrival of a new wave of winemakers.
Benoît Aymard is a typical example. Since taking over as the third generation at the 14ha Domaine Clos d’Audhuy in 2014 he has transformed the estate’s approach in terms of viticulture, winemaking and marketing. In 2018, a new gravity-fed winery was installed.
Aymard says: ‘The old Côt clones were highyielding and lower in quality. Since 2015, we’ve planted six new clones with more open bunches, small berries, lower yields and higher quality.’ His focus is on individual parcel vinification, the estate’s varied terroir and low intervention.
Clos d’Audhuy’s La-O (see p82) stands out, with its intense, linear palate demonstrating the high limestone content of this vineyard; Cuvée Clos d’Audhuy displays a more traditional approach, with two years maturation in barrel; while On a Pris le Temps combines the best parcels from both, producing a rich yet serious Côt on a par with the region’s best.
At Château Famaey and Château les Croisille, a younger generation is in charge, albeit with fewer traditional winemaking links to the Cahors region.
In 2007, Belgian Maarten Luyckx (pictured, p82) took over from his father Luc at Château Famaey in Puy l’Evêque, where he creates a range of styles. ‘We are focused on sustainability – respect for the vines and nature is at the core of what we do,’ says Luyckx.
Famaey’s Cuvée F is aged in ovoid vats, allowing further micro-oxygenation to promote fruit characters. Cuvée X – a 2023 DWWA Platinum medal winner with its 2022 vintage, produced from the same plots – spends two years in new oak barrels.
Le Grez is aged in clay amphorae to emphasise the imprint of the clay-rich vineyards. From plots on the pebbly second terrace, L’Impression is unoaked – it’s aged for 12 months in concrete vats ‘to emphasise fruit and silkiness’, says Luyckx.
Château les Croisille is located north of the Lot, on the causse. The Croisille family started as grape-growers in 1979 before creating an estate that produces its own wines. Brothers Germain and Simon are now pushing the estate to greater heights.
Cuvée Silice (from silica-rich clay-iron soils; see p82) is aged in concrete, which contrasts with Calcaire, which is aged in foudres for 15 months. Divin is a blend from the best plots of the estate’s sand, clay and limestone soils, and Le Grain is a micro-cuvée aged in demi-muids for two years. Both are complex, ageworthy Côts that would more than hold their own against the best of Argentina’s Malbecs.
The iconic Clos Triguedina estate – which lays claim to being the first to produce an AP Cahors from 100% Malbec – continues to be a standard bearer. In 2023, Jean-Luc and Sabine Baldès passed after she trained in New Zealand, Spain, Argentina and Italy. She’s focused on a better understanding of
Triguedina’s complex geology, soil types and the influence of elevation, while continuing the estate’s drive to respect both nature and tradition.
Triguedina’s top wine is Probus (see p82), paying homage to the eponymous Roman Emperor who replanted vines in the Quercy region during the 3rd century. Produced from 100-year-old vines on the third terraces, this is a selection from the best parcels and continues to set a benchmark for AP Cahors.
Intriguingly, within a red wine-only appellation, Triguedina is making an elegant white wine (labelled under IGP Comté Tolosan) from Viognier and Chardonnay planted on the highest terraces.
There’s also a fine rosé (aged in acacia barrels), while its New Black Wine is a clever reference to the wines produced several centuries ago, using a disused prune oven to gently heat and dry some of the grapes, yet delivering a much more sophisticated wine than its historical counterpart.
The wines of Cahors are certainly changing. A new generation is at play, producing the full gamut of wines, from fruit-driven to structured. New oak is being toned down with increased use of larger oak casks, amphorae and alternative maturation vessels.
Combine all this with the complex geology of the Lot valley, together with many keenly priced wines, and Cahors looks to be a very exciting source of fine Côt/Malbec wines.
Andrew Howard for Decanter
