A helpful French wine label at last!
I have long been frustrated at the vagaries of French wine labelling regulations for Appellation Controllee wines,which arrogantly assume that the consumer knows that Sancerre is made from Sauvignon Blanc, Chablis from Chardonnay and Madiran from Tannat etc.
Hence a frisson of excitement to discover a Cahors AC (South West France) from one of the top Chateaux offering a wine called "le Malbec". Now admittedly some of the best Cahors wines are made from a blend where Malbec (locally known as Cot or Auxerrois) grapes dominate, but 100% Malbecs are becoming more fashionable. The wine in question comes from the Chateau de Chambert, previously stocked by Allez Vins! But this 100% Malbec is packaged and priced as a little downmarket - clear bottle, funky font and modern front label. Of course, what we see as the front label is technically the back label, as all the legal stuff about its status (Appellation Cahors Controllee) is on the front label (yes - I am confused too). But it is a pleasant little wine, and hooray for some consumer-friendly packaging (albeit in French).
A similar wine is produced by Georges Vigouroux - his Pigmentum (named for its intense black colour) has a bit more body and smoothness - stocked byAdvintage wines)
However, for a real contrast try to get hold of a bottle of Chateau les Hauts d'Aglan's Cuvee "A" - also made of 100% Malbec with no oak and no filtering - but rather than a "second" wine, Isabelle Rey-Auriat rightly has her wine at the very top of her range - rich,smooth and well-structured.
Of course, Argentina is now providing stiff competition for Malbec wines - my own experience suggests that the South American versions have wonderfully ripe upfront fruit, but lack the tremendous depth and complexity of the Cahors wines. In many ways they do not compete head to head - they really are quite different styles of wine. Personally I like the tannic structure of good Cahors, where the tannins have softened by continue to give the wine some backbone. But then, I have often been told that my tastes are a little "individual"!
If you are in the region (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees) then you can visit the Fete des Vins du Pays du Lot the Lot Valley wine festival held at the Chateau la Coste at Grezels, west of Cahors. There will be local Vins de Pays (red, white and rose) and local food products for tasting and buying - and you could join a vineyard walk of 8km (or a shorter 3km version) - on Sunday 24 June 2007.
Links -
Frenchduck.co.uk on Cahors
Chateau de Chambert
Cahors Wine website
Georges Vigoroux
