Rediscovering Cahors' Black Gold

Sonoma-based vintner and wine consultant Paul Hobbs had success in Argentina in the 1990s with Malbec and decided to try his hand at the grape variety in its birthplace of Cahors in southwest France. It was 2009 and Hobbs was surprised by what he saw there. Whereas Cahors suffered from a reputation as too cold and too wet to produce good Malbec, he found this a myth. "The region is warmer and drier than Bordeaux," Hobbs says today.

He saw problems, though, in an insular culture in Cahors that boasted of mouth-blasting tannins, didn't prioritize sanitation in the cellars and had fallen behind in technology and viticulture. "It was like Rip Van Winkle. The place went to sleep for awhile, but eventually it woke up. Now the winemaking is up to world standards."

There is a new dynamism in Cahors, and it springs from a convergence of developments: recognition and appreciation of the Malbec grape in overseas markets, thanks to Argentina's success, a smaller market among the French as they consume less wine than their parents, and a younger generation of winemakers and proprietors making their marks with modern methods.

These young winemakers are employing organic and/or biodynamic farming in the vineyards and experimenting with growing different varietals. In the cellars, there's been an evolution in the sizes, shapes and materials of vessels for fermenting and aging wines. Less virile tannins are also a goal, with many wines receiving more delicate macerations and oaking.

"We are making classic Malbecs with great aging potential as well as innovative wines with fresher fruit tastes, and I think they are getting better and better," says Marteen Luyckx, winemaker at Château Famaey in Puy L'eveque. His father left Belgium to take over a property with 100 acres of valley floor land in 2001. "Today's producers have discovered their great terroir."

It is a sentiment echoed by many in Cahors. Coming off two excellent vintages in 2016 and 2018 (2017 was subpar due to frost, and wineries lost 50 percent of their crops), there is an air of optimism in the region. "What the current generation of winemakers here realize that the previous generation didn't necessarily, is that they are walking on gold," says Pascal Verhaeghe, owner of Château du Cedre and president of the Union Interprofessionnelle des Vins de Cahors (UIVC).

The celebrated history of Cahors vineyards dates back to Ancient Rome. Centuries later, Bordeaux bought its Malbec as a blender for claret. Royalty drank Malbec from Cahors, and its "black wine" gained a hallowed reputation in Europe, making local winemakers and landowners wealthy. Then, in the late 1800s phylloxera devastated the vineyards. It took until 1946 to get the right rootstocks to flourish, and then tragedy struck again – a massive freeze in the 1950s almost wiped out everything. Local stalwarts fought a slow battle to return the area to its former glory, and a "new age" started taking hold around the turn of the century. Though its history dates back to Roman times, Cahors vineyards are modern ones.

© Moulin | Not only has Cahors regained its interest in Malbec, but other grape varieties are also being trialled.

One of the striking things about the Cahors appellation today is its range of terroir. Valley vineyards extend from near the banks of the Lot river with its soils of sand, silt and clay and slopes upwards. There are three terraces, or levels, of soils and sun exposure with the soils getting stonier as the land climbs. Higher still are limestone plateaus, with a variety of rockier soils including iron-rich yellow sand. The many micro-climates and differing soils make for a variety of styles and intensities of Malbec wines. Some areas are even proving to be good hosts for grapes other than the traditional Malbec and its blending grapes, Merlot and Tannat, and vintners are having success with Chardonnay, Viognier and Semillon.

"The diversity of terroir is a strength for the Cahors appellation," says Phillipe Lejeune, owner and winemaker at Château Chambert in Floressas. "We have not done such a good job of promoting this so far, but we have a good future if we can show this complexity and diversity. Twenty or 30 years ago, wines were just rustic. Today, elegance and refinement is our goal."

Some 10,000 acres of vineyards in the Cahors appellation lie along the wildly-meandering Lot river flowing east to west towards the Atlantic, about 8000 planted with vines for AOC Cahors wine. The remaining land lies within the Cotes du Lot designation – producing red, rosé or white. The Cahors appellation was recognized in 1971, and only wines with at least 70 percent Malbec can display the Cahors AOC designation. The two permitted blending grapes are Merlot and Tannat, but vintners are increasingly producing 100 percent Malbecs, many of which are silky and graceful.

Some 230 wine producers, most of them small landowners, make 20 million bottles annually and 31 percent are exported. Expanding the overseas market to 50 percent is a major goal, and indeed some producers such as Château St. Didier and Château Famaey have for some time exported up to 80 percent of their wines. The biggest markets for Cahors exports are Great Britain, Canada, primarily Quebec, and the United States. Exports to the US doubled in volume and value between 2012 and 2017, according to Business France.

Some say the biggest obstacle is a lack of recognition in overseas markets but considering what Argentina has achieved for its Malbec, the Cahors AOC has ramped up promotional efforts in recent years to take advantage of Malbec's higher profile. "Cahors producers have been quite happy with the success and the notoriety of Malbec thanks to Argentina's work with the grape variety and its overseas marketing," says Armand De Gerard spokesman for the UIVC. "We've been surfing the wave of Malbec's notoriety, and are elaborating our own styles of wine according to our climate, various terroir and traditions."

Many vintners are positive about the future of Cahors in overseas markets. "I think we have a good synergy between the older and younger generations, with many young people remaining in the family business, and together we will make it happen," says Didier Pelvillain, a fifth generation winemaker of Domaine du Théron in Prayssac.

Wine tourism is also being developed. Most wineries are open to the public for free tastings and tours (some with a fee) and venues range from majestic castles with renovated facilties for tourists to rustic, homey tasting rooms. Summer is the peak season but many châteaux welcome guests throughout the year with advance bookings. At many of the properties, the winemakers/owners themselves conduct tours and are eager to answer questions and describe what they do.

Looking to the future, many Cahors winemakers say they have seen the effects of climate change in their vineyards. Château Gaudou winemaker Fabrice Durou has witnessed harvest time change dramatically at his Vire sur Lot village property. "My grandfather picked in October-November, my father in September-October and I am now picking in August-September." Although current vintages are moderate in alcohol, several vintners, such as Pelvillain of Domaine du Théron, expressed concern about alcohol levels rising due to warming trends.

The Cahors AOC is also seeking a formal classification system that will allow it to designate grand cru and premier cru wines, such as those in Burgundy and Bordeaux (where the designation dates back to 1855). The classifications – which Cahors winemakers are looking forward to within the next five years – indicate the highest quality of terroir, and would confer additional status on its higher end wines.

Hobbs' Crocus wines, in partnership with local vintner Bertrand Vigouroux, debuted in 2011. "The area is reinvigorated," he adds. "A light went on in the region, and a lot has changed in the last five to six years."