Malbec is the rare example of a grape variety that’s more famous outside of its homeland than in it. We’re all familiar with the single-variety bottlings from here in the New World, but when French Malbec shows up on our tasting table at all, it’s usually relegated to the role of blending grape. Cahors, the region in Southwest France where monovarietal Malbec reaches its highest highs, almost never appears amongst the hundreds of French wines we taste each year. Domaine d’Homs’ “Vindici Maux,” though, has us scrambling to taste every example of this rare appellation we can find. Organically farmed and made in a “natural” sulfur-free (yet totally clean!) style, “Vindici Maux” is the sort of complex yet easy-drinking bottle we want on our dinner table every night of the week. A cadre of driven young winemakers is breathing new life into Cahors and a wine this effortlessly good has us very, very excited for what the region’s future holds. Lovers of Loire Valley Cabernet Franc, Northern Rhône Syrah, or even southern Italian reds will find a welcome spot in their weekly rotation for “Vindici Maux.”
Cahors is one of those wine regions that’s fascinating, but seems to have gotten the short end of the historical stick. It’s located about 100 miles east of Bordeaux, and Malbec is far and away the most prominent variety here, supplemented by small portions of Tannat and Merlot. For centuries, Bordelaise négociants blended in dark, rich Cahors to beef up their Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. But an 18th century law—which dictated that merchants had to ship their entire stock of Bordeaux wine before they could ship any Cahors—led to the Bordelaise simply planting Malbec in their own vineyards. Since then, Cahors has remained a region of mixed agriculture, with only a dedicated few promoting their wines as something truly world class. The raw materials are certainly there; the vineyard area hugs the Lot river, with the two main soil types being Kimmeridgian limestone à la Chablis or Champagne, and gravelly soils like those on Bordeaux’s left bank.
Cahors is undergoing a revolution these days, much like the Loire or Beaujolais did a few decades ago, led by forward-looking young vignerons. Gone are the days of Cahors producers trying to ape prestige Bordeaux bottlings by slathering their wines in new oak. Instead, the region has become a hotbed of natural winemaking, with young producers embracing a brighter, fresher, minimal-intervention style. Brother and sister Charlène and Sébastien Thiéry took over Domaine d’Homs from their parents and began farming organically in 2019. Since then, they’ve pushed the estate forward into the cutting edge of natural wine, doing all work in the vines by hand and embracing cover crops, and working in the cellar with a minimalist touch.
Domaine d’Homs’ “Vindici Maux” is emblematic of Charlène and Sébastien’s vision, a 100% Malbec bottling fermented spontaneously, aged in stainless steel, and bottled without any added sulfites. It pours a deep purple with ruby highlights. The nose bursts with a riot of brambly, dark fruit and spice—blackberries, blackcurrants, black raspberries, plum skin, fresh violets, black pepper, and gravelly earth. The palate is deep, resonant, medium-full with grippy tannins and a surprising wick of acidity. It’s fresh, enlivening, dynamic, yet soulful and deeply satisfying. It is, in short, basically an ideal pop-and-pour bottling fit for every dinner table. Go deep and you’ll fall in love with Cahors just like we have!
