October 2024 - Cahors
October 2024
France
Cahors
Featuring:
Domaine Cosse et Maisonneuve
Last month we focused on the expansive Languedoc, along the southwestern Mediterranean coast of France. This month, we travel just a few hours northeast to the small region of Cahors. Located between Bordeaux and Languedoc, Cahors (pronounced Kuh-Horz) is a historical French powerhouse that has fallen to a bit of obscurity. Nestled amongst the rolling hills of southwest France, Cahors is the traditional home of the Malbec grape. Called Côt in France, this grape is believed to originate from this region before spreading across the world - most famously to Argentina. The history of Cahors and of Côt are heavily intertwined.
In the late 18th century and early 19th century, the ‘black wines’ of Cahors were considered some of the most prized wines from this part of France. With that, Côt was considered a premium grape and was highly sought after In fact, in the mid 1800s, when Bordeaux was given its famous Grand Cru Classé classification, the top wines were often a majority Malbec, with Merlot and Cabernet Franc as complimentary grapes. (Cabernet Sauvignon has now become the top grape and only a few Bordeaux wines still use Côt as a blending component.)
While once rich and esteemed, the history of Cahors suffered an unfortunate turn of events in the late 19th century. In the span of 10 years, from 1876 to 1885, phylloxera, mildew, and black rot all decimated the vineyards of Cahors. Over 100,000 acres of vines were lost this decade alone. While the region rapidly planted, vineyards would die just a few years after replanting. The American rootstocks, famous for saving vineyards across Europe, did not take to the limestone soil in Cahors and would die off quickly after replanting. (Vitis Vinifera, the European grape vine responsible for all the wine we drink, is grafted to American rootstock.) Cahors slowly lost vineyard acreage as farmers gave up hope on having their vineyards survive either phylloxera or the limestone soils. In the 1920’s, brief respite arrived in the form of hybrid grapes, however these wines were low in quality and brought down the perception (and price) of Cahors wines across France. In the late 1950’s, a phylloxera resistant rootstock that could handle the limestone soils was developed. Right around that time, a frost decimated the entire region and prompted replanting in nearly every vineyard - the hybrid grapes lost appeal and most farmers replanted Malbec on the new rootstocks. However, the damage had already been done - by 1975, nearly 100 years after phylloxera first arrived, only 1000 acres of vines existed in Cahors. There were almost 200x that at the peak a century prior. This is like taking the city limits of Portland, multiplying it by TWO and then reducing it to the area from MLK to 42nd, with Lombard and Fremont as the north/south borders. A massive amount of vineyards and livelihoods were lost over the course of that century.
Today, Cahors has managed to rebuild itself as a niche wine region with an illustrious history and a unique grape not grown anywhere else in France. As far as vineyard area, the region has grown back to 10,000 acres under vine today. Cahors AOC only authorizes use of the Malbec grape and a few other blending varieties. (Malbec must be 70%+, with Tannat, Jurancon Noir, and Merlot allowed.) Any whites or rosé wines coming from this region must be declassified as Vin de France.
Soils in Cahors vary widely. Limestone, as discussed, is prominent, with gravel and clay being featured in the best vineyards. The most sought after sites are generally on plateaus near the Lot river, which helps temper the heat and provide even ripening for the grapes. Climactically, Cahors receives influence from both the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. The area will often see a dry, sunny summer and fall (influenced by the Mediterranean) but wet, cold winters and spring (influenced by the Atlantic). The Massif Central, France’s southern/central mountain range, can cause extremely harsh frost damage, like the region experienced in 1956.
As a whole, Cahors offers a price-friendly alternative to Bordeaux for French wine lovers who prefer a bolder, more robust style of red wine. The wines have a reputation for being muscular and rustic, with notes of dried raisinated fruits and leathery notes. For lovers of Argentine Malbec, Cahors can offer more robust tannins and higher acidity (due to less elevation and cooler climate), which can make the wines better potential for aging or pairing with intense, meat-centric dishes. For people who drink mainly new world wines - Cabernet or Zinfandel from California or Eastern Washington - Cahors can be a great introduction to French wine, as it has the fruit and body to appeal to these palates.
Domaine Cosse et Maisonneuve
This estate is the culmination of efforts from Matthieu Cosse and Catherine Maisonneuve, both talented viticulturists and winemakers. The duo took over a small (12 acre) estate in Lacapelle Cabanac, west of the town of Cahors along the River Lot in 1999 and immediately began to tend to the Côt (Malbec) grapes using biodynamic principles. Today, they farm upwards of 35 acres, all certified organic and working towards biodynamic certification. Their farming principles are focused around nurturing the soils to allow the grapes to flourish without any sort of chemical intervention. They farm and vinify each plot separately, with the name of each of their 100% Malbec red cuvées referencing the vineyard site it is sourced from. Soils range from clay to limestone to calcareous gravel and sites can have varying elevations and exposures. Thus, each wine is truly a site-specific expression of terroir.
In the winery, they practice low intervention winemaking with native yeast fermentations and judicious sulfur use. The reds are aged in neutral oak barrels for differing amounts of times depending on the site - better sites receive longer oak exposure to allow for the wines to soften and develop further before release. As a whole, the wines are stylistically juicy and full of fruit, but with polish and refinement uncharacteristic of Cahors. Generally, Cahors wines have been known to be rustic and earthy, however these wines are anything but. If there is one sentiment to summarize the estate: technically trained farmers & winemakers turning typically rustic-leaning terroir into polished and refined masterpieces using natural principles.
Cosse et Maisonneuve, ‘Cheval en Tête Blanc’ Vin de France 2022
While Cahors may not be known for its white wines, the region is capable of producing stellar expressions of a variety of different grapes. Chardonnay is prominent in a number of vineyards, along with other popular southwest grape varieties - Ugni Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard, and Gros Manseng. This bottling from Cosse et Maisonneuve is 40% Chardonnay, 40% Ugni Blanc, and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. The grapes are grown with the same biodynamic principles as the reds and see low-intervention methods in the winery. Upon arrival, grapes are whole-cluster pressed before fermentation in clay amphora. Once the wine undergoes malolactic fermentation, it is transferred to concrete vats for aging. The wine is generous and expressive on the nose, with notes of golden apple, grapefruit, honeycomb, and white flowers. On the palate, it is full bodied with ample acidity to pair with richer dishes like full-flavored cheese, cream-heavy vegetable dishes, or white meats and fish.
Cosse et Maisonneuve, ‘Le Combal’ Malbec, Cahors 2021
Le Combal is a single vineyard planted in the late 90’s to Malbec vines. The primary soil type is calcareous clay with a small amount of gravel. The vineyard was conventionally farmed for roughly a half decade before Catherine and Matthieu took over the land and converted the farming methods into organics and, later, biodynamics. The 100% Malbec grapes see fermentation in stainless steel tanks before being pressed off to age in neutral oak casks for 12 months. The resulting wine is one of the estate’s more dense and structured reds, with an almost black color in the glass. On the nose, the wine shows rich blackberry and cassis, with a touch of leather and smoke. Savory notes of truffle are perceptible and should become more prominent with age. On the palate it has supple tannins, a full body, and bright acidity. The long, pleasant finish adds to the contradiction - a wholly rich and generous wine that is also incredibly easy drinking and keeps you coming back for more. This wine is practically meant for Autumn - keep it stashed until you cook that inaugural stew of the season.