Château du Cèdre has always been a top producer in Cahors, making Malbec in a Bordeaux fashion, but with the distinct terroir-driven characteristics of the appellation. If you enjoy the wines of Bordeaux, I assure you that you will love this wine—especially because the surge in quality and relatively small worldwide demand makes the top wines of Cahors some of the greatest value wines in all of France. Château du Cèdre has three separate vineyards plots, planted in two unique terroirs. The larger vineyard is planted facing southeast on colluvial limestone soils, and the land is very rocky. They say this soil type contributes to the fine-grain tannins and length of the wine on the tongue. The other two smaller plots are oriented south and planted in soils that contain pebble stones, red sands, siliceous earth and clay; this soil combination brings power, depth, roundness and density. The 2011 vintage is made up of 90% Malbec and the balance of Tannat and Merlot makes a truly balanced and enjoyable wine. Brothers Jean-Marc and Pascal work together with a small team to farm the vines with strictly organic methods (finally certified in 2012), and approach each season with new eyes to bring more life into the vineyards. The grapes are handpicked by a small vineyard team of only twelve people, and then they are sorted and de-stemmed. For the 2011 vintage, they choose to ferment the wine in oak barrels and then age it for roughly 22 months in a combination of new and neutral oak. 

The 2011 Cahors from Château du Cèdre has an incredibly concentrated, opaque dark purple core that moves to magenta on the rim—classic colors for Malbec. The nose boasts a myriad of dark purple, black and red fruits, such as freshly-picked blackcurrants, boysenberries and blackberries, followed by fresh violets, wild herbs, tobacco, pencil lead, crushed stones, and forest floor along with a hint of cedar and spice. The palate is medium plus in body with a perfect balance of fresh fruit and earth characteristics, similar to the nose, and finishing with perfectly fresh mouthwatering acidity balanced by gentle tannins and deep minerality. Right now, this wine is at a sweet spot, but it will get even better over the next few years; if kept well, it can easily be cellared for another five years. I recommend decanting this wine for 45 minutes before serving into large Bordeaux stems at about 60-65 degrees alongside a hearty beef pot roast.