Request for TN or other info on Cahors Malbec

[Robin Garr]

Whoa, I haven't had a Cahors for a long time! Here are a few old TNs from my files:

<b>Les Hauts de Chambert 1996 Cahors</b> ($8.99)
Clear garnet, rather light for a wine whose ancestors were once known as "black wine." Pleasant red-fruit aromas with marked, pleasant overtones of cedar and rose petals. Full, bright fruit and oak flavors, consistent with the nose, red fruit and spice; lemony-tart fruit in a surprisingly long finish. Impressive wine for a single-digit price. Fine with a shepherd's pie made with leftover beef pot roast. U.S. importer: Kysela Pere et Fils Ltd., Winchester, Va. (Jan. 6, 1999)

<b>Clos la Coutale 1994 Cahors</b> ($9.99)
Dark ruby color. Spicy oak and black-fruit aromas lead into a tart, heavily tannic flavor with some black-cherry fruit showing through. Opens up after time in the glass to add a pleasant blueberry note, but it's still quite tannic and tartly acidic. It's young yet, might soften some with time in the bottle, and went well enough with roast chicken; but the balance issue makes me wonder about its cellar potential. Importer: Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, Calif. (Jan. 26, 1997)

<b>Roussille 1993 "Le Clos du Chêne" Cahors</b> ($9.99)
There's been a lot of talk among wine lovers about the way that Cahors, the old "black wine" made from Malbec grapes in Southwestern France, has lost its soul in these times of modern mass-production wine-making. Not this one ... Very dark ruby color. Deep black-fruit and spicy oak aromas with mint and herbal notes. Big, mouth-filling fruit flavor, almost "chewy" in texture, with warm, plummy fruit and clean acidity in good balance. A touch of pleasant "green" herbaceousness shows up as a whiff of fresh-cut hay in the finish. Made a great match with a garlicky roast leg of lamb. Importer: Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, Pa. (Sept. 27, 1996)

2001 Chateau du Cedre Cahors Le Prestige

3/16/2007 rated 86 points: This is--as is the wont of the French--a blend: 70% Malbec, 20% Merlot and 10 % Tannat. Color is a rich, full royal purple with a hint of fade on the rim and the nose conjures brambly black fruits. It is a rustic wine (it throws quite a bit of sediment) that needs food to come into balance and subdue the tannic grip. Nice full mouthfeel, tasty fruits and a longer than expected finish. I gave it an hour of air, it could have used more, and the wine really smoothed out with the Spanish cheese at the end.

Notes on the `99 Coutale, thread was a 2nd hand blind tasting.

The bottle was dusted off and stood for a day. Opened mid-morning and half the content was decanted at 6pm. Good natural cork, 12.5% alc. Sediment noted but not sure how much.

Color. Nice medium garnet with pale purple tinges on the rim. Surprisingly showing the merest hints of youth, the centre is medium opaque.

Nose. Lots of swirling to get things going! Nice spicy/savoury nose here, showing some red berry fruits. Noted some black pepper and earthyness with just a hint of meatyness?

Palate. Initial mouthfeel entry is dry, wealth of tannins, complex. Fair acidity, cherry, dark berry and damsons. Bit earthy and quite savoury. The finish is however a bit short, surprising and unmemorable. Might come around tomorrow I hope?

Food was Sausage and Beans.

The notes I have on Cellartracker - and a motley bunch they are too!

When I first got into wine, Cahors was often a source of big structured wines at dirt cheap prices (10 french francs a bottle in Calais I recall!). I have fond memories. These notes reflect on a failure to discover the wines I recall.

2001 Domaine Cosse Maisonneuve Cahors La Fage - France, Southwest France, Cahors (6/16/2007)
Fuller than the last few Cahors tasted, which puts in more in line with what I'd expect.
Quite youthful still, with good depth and tannins, but perhaps light acidity for long term cellaring. Not especially complex at this stage, but should improve over the next 3-4 years. Good wine but perhaps one not to get too excited over.

1999 Château la Caminade Cahors - France, Southwest France, Cahors (5/19/2007)
Tannins have softened a touch, but this seems to be fading fast. Drink up

2002 Château Lamartine Cahors Cuvée Particulière - France, Southwest France, Cahors (1/26/2007)
Good for 02 and pretty good irrespective of that. Has the Cahors tendency for big tannins.

1996 Château du Cayrou Cahors - France, Southwest France, Cahors (6/29/2006)
Definitely over the hill albeit still drinkable. This one has dried out, with tannins and acid dominating with a little fruit vainly trying to hold up it's end of the balance bargain. Shame as the nose was very attractive with subtle barnyard and mushroomy aromas together with a touch of violet.

The 2nd disappointing aged Cahors I've had in two months - maybe best to go back to drinking them young?

1989 Georges Vigouroux Cahors Château de Mercuès - France, Southwest France, Cahors (5/23/2006)
Bought from Vinopolis to circumvent the now daft 12 bottle rule at Majestic
Visually showing some edge with browning at the rim and the colour is relatively light (for aged Cahors) claret / red. A complex nose that's difficult to pin down, because a different flavor seems to hit you at each sniff. The palate in comparison is fairly light and a touch one dimensional with quite vibrant acidity that's just a little too prominent for ideal balance. At the £5 it's selling for I reckon it's a steal for a 17 year old wine (admittedly that would have been very cheap at release). I don't think I'd have been unhappy if the price had been £7-8, but above that I'd have been disappointed.

Went OK, but nothing special with Herb crusted minted lamb steaks

1999 Château la Caminade Cahors - France, Southwest France, Cahors (4/23/2005)
Quite light in body for a Cahors wine & also quite light in alcohol @ 12.5%. Nonetheless this drank pretty well & the tannins are still assertive albeit not obtrusive. Will hold the remaining bottle for 2-3 years.

regards

Ian

[David M. Bueker]

2002 Château de Haute-Serre Cahors - France, Southwest France, Cahors (10/4/2007)
When I opened the bottle about 90 minutes before the tasting it was tight as a drum with lots of stuffing. Not much changed when it was poured as the warm-up wine. Black fruits and tough, tight tannic structure were the dominant themes. It was still quite well received, ranking seventh of the 9 wines served, and when we were re-tasting afterwards it had opened up considerably (now about 4 hours since opening) with more balance between the fruit and tannin. My remaining bottles will be given significant cellar time to allow the tannins to calm down. There’s plenty of fruit for aging.

The best Cahors Malbec is made in......

(sorry, couldnt resist)

I have just noticed that I will get a chance to taste the `05 Coutale this weekend. Rep is pouring downtown, hope there is some left as I make my to the Grill to help out on a busy Saturday night!!