The title is a riff on the old nursery rhyme Round and Round the Garden which ends with "One step, two step, three step, bear!". Definitely unrelated to Cahors or any other wine, really. But it was on my mind and so here we are.
"France vs. Argentina" is what this blog post *should* be titled because that's the gist of malbec.
As usual, we can thank the Romans for planting grape vines literally everywhere in the Middle Ages including present day southwest France. Malbec, the intense grape that yields wine so opaque that it has earned the nickname of Black Wine, was prolific in the area around the river Lot, that is now Cahors. But because of shipping regulations that favoured Bordeaux wines, malbec never enjoyed the fame and glory that Bordeaux did even back then. The phylloxera blight in the late 19th century that wiped out nearly all of the Cahors malbec vines certainly did not help things.
While Cahors - and much of France - was dealing with that, malbec vines brought to Argentina in the mid-1800s, were thriving. And have continued to thrive to the extent that for wine, Argentina has become synonymous with malbec, and French malbec isn't at the forefront of most malbec enthusiasts. But that is changing as more and more vintners are making wine in Cahors and making excellent cool climate malbec from grapes grown in limestone soil, quite different from the fruity ripe malbecs from Argentina.
It can take years to find limestone soil in Argentina, but it takes a few minutes in Cahors. Especially around the terraces above the river Lot, which have a thin gravel and topsoil layer with solid limestone underneath. This soil combined with the cooler climate of Cahors results in tannic wine with a delicious savoury streak. Wine that's distinctly different from the Argentine malbecs which are more supple, fruit-forward, and overall less nuanced than Cahors malbecs.
This month with the French #winophiles we were tasting Cahors wines, and we had...
87% malbec, 13% merlot
Soil: limestone base, gravel topsoil, second terrace above the river Lot
Colour: Deep purple, almost opaque
Nose: Savoury, peppery, some violet, earthColour: Deep purple, almost opaque
Taste: Smoky, blackerries, pepper, graphite, and leather. Balanced tannins, very delicious everyday wine!
Pairing: We had this with fromage fort and figs. The fromage fort had a mix of several cheeses including blue cheese and quark. It made an excellent match for the savoury wine!
Price: $13
2016 CHATEAU DE GAUDOU CUVÉE TRADITIONhttp://www.chateaudegaudou.com/en/les-vins/gaudou-co-tradition
85% malbec, balance merlot and tannat
Soil: limestone base, gravel topsoil, second and third terraces above the river Lot
Colour: Deep purple, almost opaque
Nose: Blackberries, some violet, earth
Taste: Blackberries, pepper, and dusty tannins. Overall more fruit forward and jammy than the Lagrézette, which we preferred over this wine.
Pairing: We had this with broiled bread, fromage fort and green olive tapenade. Terrific match for this wine!
Price: $12
See what the rest of the #winophiles are saying about Cahors..
See what the rest of the #winophiles are saying about Cahors..
- Rob from Odd Bacchus tells the real deal on Cahors: A LOT to Love.
- Liz from What’s In That Bottle paints the place What's Red, Wine, & Black All Over?
- Wendy from A Day InThe Life On The Farm tempts the crowd with Basque Chicken Stew paired with Black Wine
- Payal from Keep the Peas gives us a bit of everything we want with White Wine, Red Wine, Black Wine, Cahors!
- Camilla from Culinary Adventures With Camilla gets the party going by pairing Grilled Lamb Sirloin with Cèdre Héritage 2015.
- Rupal from Journeys Of A Syrah Queen inspires and delights with Crocus Wines – Exploring Cahors With Paul Hobbs
- Jeff from FoodWineClick! may be getting us in trouble with Forbidden Foods and Stinky Cahors
- Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles gets out the map and takes us to Cahors – Malbec from along the Winding River Lot.
- Jill at L’Occasion shares Cahors: Your Favorite Wine For Fall
