Description

Description

Malbec isn’t from Argentina, Cahors in South-West France is where it comes from originally! This is a rich, but balanced wine with supple blackcurrant and black cherry fruit and notes of coffee, herb and chocolate. Good with steak, hearty stews and hard cheeses.

Grape

Originally from South West France, but now the Argentine flagship Malbec produces full bodied, deeply coloured wines with blackberry, mulberry (floral berry), chocolate and spice character.

Producer

Château du Cedre was established by Charles Verhaeghe on vineyard land devastated by the frosts in 1956 in Viré-Sur-Lot. His sons Pascal and Jean-Marc studied winemaking, the former in Burgundy and California, the latter in Bordeaux. Ecological viticultural methods are favoured and chemicals are eschewed wherever possible. In the cellars the Verhaeghes aim for softness, richness and harmony and sensible use of oak.

Region

Cahors is a small town in southwestern France, located 100 miles (160km) east of Bordeaux. In wine terms it is known for its deeply coloured reds made predominantly from Malbec (known locally as both Côt and Auxerrois), with small amounts of Tannat and Merlot. Interestingly, Cahors is the only red-wine appellation in the French south-west to use neither Cabernet Sauvignon nor Cabernet Franc. Typical Cahors is darkly coloured and has a meaty, herb-tinged aroma with hints of spiced black cherries and a whiff of cedar. Cahors is invariably tighter and leaner than the rich, opulent style of Malbec being made in Mendoza, the variety’s new-found home.

Food Pairing

High alcohol, full body and low acidity makes food pairing tricky. Can be paired with grilled or BBQ red meats.