Cahors Wine, Malbec France better than Argentina?

About Cahors Wine - the Original Malbec

Some History

Malbec originates from France and has been grown in France for over 800 years.

So many local names for the same grape… Auxerrois in Quercy and Cahors where it originates, but also Pressac, Noir de Pressac or Gros NoirCot in the Loire Valley and Malbec in Bordeaux.

It is a round and black grape with medium sized berries, with fairly open, loose clusters and fairly juicy seeds. This is a variety maturing during the second period compared to the Chasselas variety: the buds burst 4 days later and ripen 2 and a half weeks afterwards. Not easy to grow, Malbec is sensitive to winter and spring frost, its early bud-bursting is subject to shattering but is fairly resistant to odium.

Thanks to this flavorsome grape variety, the Malbec wines boast good pigmentation (”black wine”) as their grapes contain a high percentage of anthocyanins. Because of the tannins, they have a good ageing potential.

They have an aromatic complexity where black fruit (black berries, morello cherries, black currants and plums) mix with aromatic notes of liquorice, toast and leather, equally persistent on the palate.

The Malbec grape has several typical aroma and flavor components such as Violet, Black currant, Cherry, Liquorice, Vanilla Menthol and Truffle.

Exporting Pioneer

The marriage in 1152, between Alienor of Aquitaine and Henri Plantagenet, the future king of England, encouraged the development of winegrowing in Southwest France, especially in Cahors.

The production of "The Black Wine of Cahors", extremely appreciated by the British, grew considerably during this period. Henry the 3rd of England, “enjoined in 1225, the authorities of Bordeaux not to stop nor to impose a tax whatsoever on the wines that the merchants from Cahors, under his protection, were bringing to Gironde.”

List of Cahors AOC domaines (French site)