The 'Ugly Duckling' of the Southwest
Regular readers of this thing blog probably already recognize the leanings towards the Old World. for newcomers let me say this: I am a full-blown Franco-phile and I'm not ashamed to admit it. In that light, and in the interest of 'spreading the good word', the word of the day is 'Cahors'.
I'll grant that the name doesn't bring to mind the romanticism of Bordeaux or Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and truth be known the wines may not either, but in all reality the wines from this little piece of paradise aren't trying to. Pronounced phoenetically it goes something like this: 'Kah' (as in Cannes, if you're into hanging out with movie stars in the South of France - or like Card if you're from Boston) and 'Oer' (as in 'oar' - fancy speak for a paddle). Remember, the 's' is silent. The region is about 30 miles wide and about 15 miles deep with about 4,000 hectares (just under 10,000 acres) under vine. The namesake of the appelation is an ancient town in the eastern side of the appellation. The major landmark of the town Cahors is the 'Tour du Diable' - (Devil's Tower). Not exactly sure how it got this name but it was built in 1308. And speaking of history, there is documentation showing wine being produced here as far back as the 7th century. In a nutshell, this place is the epitome of 'Old World'.
The primary grape grown here is Malbec. That's right, the same grape that everybody gets all giddy about when it comes from Argentina. Cahors is its home. Just for fun, or to keep the visitors guessing this same grape can be/is called 'Auxerrois' or 'Côt'. Regardless of name, the result is the same. The other permitted grapes in Cahors are Tannat (found in the Pyrénees in Irouleguy, as well as the appellation of Madiran, south of Cognac) and Merlot (from the famed Right Bank of Bordeaux as well as every other damn place that can make a bottle of Ripple). According to the appellation regulations, Malbec must constitute 70% of the final wine. For the record, I kid around in saying that to 'get into' the wines of Cahors, one must have a slight sado-masochistic bend to their personality. Malbec, when grown here produces a wine that is nearly black in color, fruit that almost challenges the drinker to find, and tannins that can require a pry bar to separate your lips from your teeth. It is because of these characteristics that the Tannat and (more especially) the Merlot are added. I have never had a Cahors that was 100% Malbec but I would imagine it to be nearly undrinkable.
I titled this entry the 'ugly duckling' because that is how I feel these wines are treated as a whole, at the very least in the U.S. and in the 'wine media' in this country. As I said earlier, these wines don't have the 'sex appeal' like those from Bordeaux and (for some reason) aren't afforded the 'Senior Citizen' status that Châteauneuf-du-Pape enjoys (even though Cahors has C.d.P. beat by about 600 years). In your average 'wine book' dedicated solely to France there are probably 10-15 pages devoted to the wines of the Southwest, with 1-3 of those speaking on Cahors (including pictures and maps, et al). In a more 'worldly' wine book, you'd be lucky to get more than a few paragraphs talking about this region. I feel this unfortunate and thus the impetus for my rambling.
Again, the nature of these wines is nothing remotely similar to what most people think of when they hear Malbec. The Argentinian model is (not surprisingly) made in a more 'New World' style. I don't mean this as an insult but there are stark differences. The South American version is far more 'open-knit'. Aromatics and flavor profiles are almost immediately recognizable, the fruit is right out in the open and tannins, while they may be present, take a back seat to the more 'gratifying' aspects of the wine. Not so with Cahors. These wines beat you into submission. It's almost as if the wine is in your glass and its thinking 'Bring it...what you got?!?' Admittedly, this wine is not for everyone and it does require some patience but Cahors is unlike anything else.
There are many producers in this region and like anywhere else thay have their quirks and differences, but here's one that was opened on Tuesday, Dec. 28. The Financial Advisor threatened to prepare dinner, all I had to do is bring the wine. Clos Triguedina 2000. Just so happened that I got some of this wine in that day and cracked it around 2:30 in the pee em. Spot on Cahors. It was silly to even taste the wine at this point and I knew so, but what the hell. I couldn't really get much out of the wine other than it wasn't corked and it most definitely was Cahors. Get home around 8:30 and started with a Madiran left over from a sampling. Spectacular. Still wound up a bit, but drinking very well. Halfway through the meal, time to switch over to the Cahors. The F.A. tasted it blind and offered a few guesses but to no avail. I don't blame her, this is not a wine that gives much up. At 6 hours being open, the wine still refused to yield what it had. The F.A. initially didn't care for the wine. This was within the context of sitting around drinking a glass of wine. This would not be what I would recommend for such an occasion. But when taken with the meal (Roast Chicken over Leeks with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes), the wine changed dramatically. Still wound up, the tannins made 'more sense'.
The F.A. said that while it wasn't her favorite that night, she could sense that in the future this wine wouldbe quite different. She went so far as to draw a comparison to the 'super-model' in high school. Meaning that at a younger age, the 'wierd' looking girl has a lanky build, funny looking knees, big lips, etc... Of course, 8 years later, every dude in the world is kicking himself for not seeing the 'potential'. And that is dead-on as to my experience with Cahors. Kind of weird and 'socially-ungracefull' but afforded time, they become something unreal. And given the relative anonymity of Cahors, the prices are still quite reasonable especially considering the age-worthiness they have.
I may finish the bottle tonight or maybe just check in and then see what it does on day 4. Either way, it'll be good.
Check it out.
I'll grant that the name doesn't bring to mind the romanticism of Bordeaux or Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and truth be known the wines may not either, but in all reality the wines from this little piece of paradise aren't trying to. Pronounced phoenetically it goes something like this: 'Kah' (as in Cannes, if you're into hanging out with movie stars in the South of France - or like Card if you're from Boston) and 'Oer' (as in 'oar' - fancy speak for a paddle). Remember, the 's' is silent. The region is about 30 miles wide and about 15 miles deep with about 4,000 hectares (just under 10,000 acres) under vine. The namesake of the appelation is an ancient town in the eastern side of the appellation. The major landmark of the town Cahors is the 'Tour du Diable' - (Devil's Tower). Not exactly sure how it got this name but it was built in 1308. And speaking of history, there is documentation showing wine being produced here as far back as the 7th century. In a nutshell, this place is the epitome of 'Old World'.
The primary grape grown here is Malbec. That's right, the same grape that everybody gets all giddy about when it comes from Argentina. Cahors is its home. Just for fun, or to keep the visitors guessing this same grape can be/is called 'Auxerrois' or 'Côt'. Regardless of name, the result is the same. The other permitted grapes in Cahors are Tannat (found in the Pyrénees in Irouleguy, as well as the appellation of Madiran, south of Cognac) and Merlot (from the famed Right Bank of Bordeaux as well as every other damn place that can make a bottle of Ripple). According to the appellation regulations, Malbec must constitute 70% of the final wine. For the record, I kid around in saying that to 'get into' the wines of Cahors, one must have a slight sado-masochistic bend to their personality. Malbec, when grown here produces a wine that is nearly black in color, fruit that almost challenges the drinker to find, and tannins that can require a pry bar to separate your lips from your teeth. It is because of these characteristics that the Tannat and (more especially) the Merlot are added. I have never had a Cahors that was 100% Malbec but I would imagine it to be nearly undrinkable.
I titled this entry the 'ugly duckling' because that is how I feel these wines are treated as a whole, at the very least in the U.S. and in the 'wine media' in this country. As I said earlier, these wines don't have the 'sex appeal' like those from Bordeaux and (for some reason) aren't afforded the 'Senior Citizen' status that Châteauneuf-du-Pape enjoys (even though Cahors has C.d.P. beat by about 600 years). In your average 'wine book' dedicated solely to France there are probably 10-15 pages devoted to the wines of the Southwest, with 1-3 of those speaking on Cahors (including pictures and maps, et al). In a more 'worldly' wine book, you'd be lucky to get more than a few paragraphs talking about this region. I feel this unfortunate and thus the impetus for my rambling.
Again, the nature of these wines is nothing remotely similar to what most people think of when they hear Malbec. The Argentinian model is (not surprisingly) made in a more 'New World' style. I don't mean this as an insult but there are stark differences. The South American version is far more 'open-knit'. Aromatics and flavor profiles are almost immediately recognizable, the fruit is right out in the open and tannins, while they may be present, take a back seat to the more 'gratifying' aspects of the wine. Not so with Cahors. These wines beat you into submission. It's almost as if the wine is in your glass and its thinking 'Bring it...what you got?!?' Admittedly, this wine is not for everyone and it does require some patience but Cahors is unlike anything else.
There are many producers in this region and like anywhere else thay have their quirks and differences, but here's one that was opened on Tuesday, Dec. 28. The Financial Advisor threatened to prepare dinner, all I had to do is bring the wine. Clos Triguedina 2000. Just so happened that I got some of this wine in that day and cracked it around 2:30 in the pee em. Spot on Cahors. It was silly to even taste the wine at this point and I knew so, but what the hell. I couldn't really get much out of the wine other than it wasn't corked and it most definitely was Cahors. Get home around 8:30 and started with a Madiran left over from a sampling. Spectacular. Still wound up a bit, but drinking very well. Halfway through the meal, time to switch over to the Cahors. The F.A. tasted it blind and offered a few guesses but to no avail. I don't blame her, this is not a wine that gives much up. At 6 hours being open, the wine still refused to yield what it had. The F.A. initially didn't care for the wine. This was within the context of sitting around drinking a glass of wine. This would not be what I would recommend for such an occasion. But when taken with the meal (Roast Chicken over Leeks with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes), the wine changed dramatically. Still wound up, the tannins made 'more sense'.
The F.A. said that while it wasn't her favorite that night, she could sense that in the future this wine wouldbe quite different. She went so far as to draw a comparison to the 'super-model' in high school. Meaning that at a younger age, the 'wierd' looking girl has a lanky build, funny looking knees, big lips, etc... Of course, 8 years later, every dude in the world is kicking himself for not seeing the 'potential'. And that is dead-on as to my experience with Cahors. Kind of weird and 'socially-ungracefull' but afforded time, they become something unreal. And given the relative anonymity of Cahors, the prices are still quite reasonable especially considering the age-worthiness they have.
I may finish the bottle tonight or maybe just check in and then see what it does on day 4. Either way, it'll be good.
Check it out.
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