Cahors, the birthplace of Malbec, was actually cultivated by the Romans as early as 50 BC. For centuries, Bordeaux utilized Malbec from Cahors to bolster their then lighter-hued claret. Now Malbec is planted and allowed by the Bordeaux AOC as a blending grape. But back in Cahors, the appellation of its origin, Malbec is still the star with at least 70% of the varietal required in its blend. Although Malbec from Cahors enjoyed immense popularity throughout France, Britain and Russia as early as the medieval period, its renown abruptly halted with the onset of the phylloxera epidemic. Grafting the vines on American rootstock was problematic for Malbec and it took an inordinately long amount of time before the varietal was able to bounce back. Following these unfortunate events, Cahors garnered a reputation for rustic, aggressively masculine wines that required decades to reach maturity. This has been a reputation that’s been hard to shake for the appellation of Cahors. However, a new generation of winemakers in Cahors has successfully given their wine a new face; by utilizing cleaner, more gentle winemaking practices and using experimental throwbacks like amphorae aging, these winemakers are crafting wines of elegance, revealing a softer side of Malbec, that is approachable in 4-to-5 years as opposed to decades.

 

Our offer today is from one of these innovative new winemakers and the elegance of his wine, 2011 Les Clos d’Un Jour, is no exception. Stephane and Veronique Azemar purchased a dilapidated, seven-hectares property with ample potential in 2000. The magnificent site is perched on the steep slopes of the third terrace of the Lot Valley, which is considered the best terroir of Cahors thanks to the limestone gravel over clay soil that stresses the vines, pushes the sugar content while retaining acidity. Not only is the site ideal, but the Azemars chose to convert to organic viticulture. Their land is grazed and naturally fertilized by Quessant sheep, and they harvest and tend the vines by hand. The yield at harvest is kept at tiny 25 hl per hectare even though the appellation allows up to 50hl per hectare; in other words, the focus is on incredibly high-quality, low yields, which results in a stunning wine of immense concentration and quality. In the cellar, Stephane ferments and ages this Malbec in amphorae, which results in a pure expression of fruit void of masking flavors of oak, focused minerality and even introduction of oxygen that allows the wine to possess a level of softness and elegance at a much earlier age.