Wine Region: Cahors

(2024) 100% Malbec, this comes from the highest of the Cahors terraces, with the oldest alluvial soil before you reach the limestone plateau at the top of the slope. It was aged mostly in large vats, but with a proportion matured in smaller oak barrels. There's a real ripeness and supple gloss to this, defying the old idea of Cahors being tannic and rustic. Instead, here there is a swathe of crushed black berries and ripe plum, everything plush and sweet including the creamy tannins and pert cherry acidity. Balanced and easy to enjoy with its overall elegant and ripe appeal. Watch the video for more information and food matching ideas.

(2018) From winemaker Hervé Fabré, who has spent decades making Malbec in Argentina before buying this estate in Cahors, in his French homeland. It's a wine that has soaked up its oak barrel-ageing effortlessly, the nose dominated by blueberry and cassis, a dark black plum edge, and lovely notes of Malbec's more floral and feminine side too, elegant, peppery and gently lifted. Like its little brother, the Mission de Picpus, the super-fruity, peachy edge to the palate is delightful, here set against much more substantial tannins, darker, more savoury fruit, and good acid structure, suggesting this will age well for a decade or more.

(2018) It's an interesting 'back to his roots' story for French winemaker Hervé Fabre, synonymous with Malbec from Argentina where has made wine for over 30 years, including his well-known Viñalba label. He has recently taken over an estate in Cahors, the European home of Malbec, and the first two wines from it are now being stocked by the retailer Roberson, an excellent Cahors destined to age labeled Prieuré De Cénac, and this more approachable wine that retails for £5 less. It's a wine that expresses that lovely Malbec 'lift' very well, violet, cassis and even some fragrant peach notes, before a palate that carries through some of that peach juice-edged character in the crisp black fruit, grippy, but fine Cahors tannins and juicy and fresh acidity. Watch the video for more information and food-matching ideas. On offer at £11.99 at time of review.

(2014) Fruit comes from Vigoroux's own vineyards in Châteaux de Haute-Serre and Mercuès, the vines between 27 and 35 years of age. Haute-Serre sits on a plateau above the Lot Valley floor, with plentiful sun exposure. It has a rock-strewn surface with two feet of red clay and iron concretions over limestone and patches of blue clay. Mercuès is on the third terrace of the Lot, with sandy-clay soils which are poor and have excellent drainage. Lovely colour, very dense and flowing, bright violet/crimson. Very fine nose after 18 months in 50% new, 50% one-year old French oak barrels. Really nice aromatics, creamy and rounded but there's a herbal spice and leafiness, a touch of floral. On the palate the tannins are grippier and tighter than the Argentinean tannins, but it has a savoury, earthy character as well as the very sweet and ripe fruit. Delicious hints of violet and tight kirsch flavours, the purity of the fruit is excellent and it still has structure and acidity at its core.

(2013) Ripe and vinous, good black fruit but arguably not screaming of terroir or grape. Quite a lot of oak too. Pleasant palate, perhaps a touch dilute in terms of mid-palate fruit, the tannins just dominating the finish, but has the savoury balance to be better with food I suspect.

(2013) Sweet earth and minerality here, seems to have a sense of place, though there is a meat-stocky overlay of oak (maybe a touch of Brett) but the fruit is ripe. On the palate this has real sweetness, concentrated and meaty, but at the same time edged by very firm, very dry tannin and a big spine of structural acidity. Again, needs time I think.

(2013) A little paler in colour and a bright and primary nose of red fruits, but there's a leathery and gamy note too, a touch of the barnyard suggesting a light bretty character. Chocolate and sweet fruit on the palate is mouth-filling and rich, but the finish just a touch short and showing that slight drying quality.

(2013) Very soft colour. Obvious age on this. A slightly underpowered nose of bloody oxidation and soft, undergrowth qualities to the modest fruit. Difficult to judge a mature wine in the midst of so many youthful examples. Pleasing balance and a nice drink, but just a little lacking in fruit in the finish.

(2013) Back to a lovely sense of freshness and cool, Cahors earth here as well as oak and fruit. Indeed that ashy, dry, mineral character is what drives this aromatically. Gorgeous palate, the dry extract of the fruit nicely managed, tannins and acids in proportion but the fresh and juicy energy of the fruit is what drives through into a long spicy and fruity finish.

(2013) >From next year this wine will be aged in amphora, small 150-litre red clay amphorae made in Toulouse from local clay. Very juicy stuff, this is deliciously black fruited and has energy and structure to spare. A really 'alive' wine with a lovely focus. The estate is in its last year of organic certification, and is moving to biodynamic farming.