Château la Coustarelle Cahors
Southwest Region
The Cahors appellation is located in the département of Lot, within the greater region known as Quercy. Located midway between the Dordogne and Toulouse, the rolling hills of the area that twist gently along with the River Lot provides the tourist with many photo opportunities; villages beehived around the peaks of small hills, blue sky and vine-covered expanses, castles tucked neatly into hillside folds...it's not surprising that this area attracts huge numbers of tourists and foreigners looking to buy retirement homes abroad!
The Cahors vineyards date back to the Roman occupation, making them among the oldest in France. Their history since then has certainly been noteworthy: Vignerons from Cahors were called to Avignon by Pope John Paul XXII in the 15th century to take care of the vines at Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Francois I had Malbec vines from Cahors planted at his palace in Fontainebleu. Russian Tsar Peter the Great treated his delicate stomach with Cahors and served it to distinguished guests, while the Russian Orthodox church even used wine from Cahors during communion.
The Malbec Grape
Malbec a.k.a. Cot, Auxerrois: 70% of the wines in Cahors must be made with Malbec, making it the grape of Cahors. Once used as the backbone for many Bordeaux wines, this thick-skinned, late-ripening grape produces deeply colored wines like its cousin Tannat. Malbec is grown widely in Argentina and in small quantities in California.
The Wine
The red wines from Cahors (the only wines allowed) are generally powerful and robust, and deep in color. Indeed, the British once nicknamed wine from the region the black wine. Resultant wines are dark and tannic, with a distinct taste that combines blackberry, raspberry and anis. As it ages, its tannins begin to lighten and the licorice note melts into the blackberry, offering up additional scents of tobacco and sweet prunes.
The ability of these wines to age has traditionally depended on vineyard location. In general, vineyards planted along the chalky slopes of the rolling hills that dominate the Quercy landscape produce wines that are firmer in structure, tannins, and with more concentrated fruit due to lower yields. The best grapes are normally grown on the mid-slope, where the balance of nutrients seems ideal. Along the long Lot valley floors formerly a river bed the chalky soil includes alluvial deposits formed by quartz pebbles, gravel, and chalky stones. From this land, lighter and more supple wines are born.
In more recent times, however, emphasis has shifted to the winemaker in determining the type of wine produced within the region. Some of Cahors longest-lived wines now come from the valley floors, whereas many wines served with a slight chill in local eateries are now produced from vines grown along the slopes.
As in other parts of the Southwest (and the world), some producers in Cahors favor the use of oak aging. If the juice is concentrated, the winemaker is skilled, and the wood is of quality, a resultant wine from Malbec can be lifted to a level never before tasted.
Château la Coustarelle
Château la Coustarelle is owned by Michel and Nadine Cassot and located in the village of Prayssac, next to the renowned Clos de Gamot. Their 30-year-old vines are planted on slopes that give yields of between 45-50 hl/ha. This Grand Cuvée Prestige sees a 20-day fermentation period, after which aging takes place in oak barrels, a fifth of which is new each year. The 3,000 case production is bottled unfiltered.
Michel Cassot
Cuvée Normale (80% Malbec, 20% Merlot): Deep ruby. Powerful, forthcoming and concentrated nose, with good depth of blackberry-scented fruit along with anis. Light tannins are well-integrated in the wine's medium to full-bodied texture.
Grand Cuvée Prestige (90% Malbec, 10% Tannat): Deep purple. Lots of vanilla on the nose buttresses substantial dark fruit. Medium to full-body. Plenty of ripe blackberry fruit on the palate, along with a hint of licorice. Fine tannin is extremely well-integrated on the finish.
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