Attendees were greeted with detailed information about each bottling, as
well as a specially designed glass made for tasting Cahors, with a smooth,
crystalline curve, an ultra-thin lip for precision tasting, and the detail
that gave the glass so much character: a glass ring inset in the stem.
Drinking from the glass, one puts one's finger through it, as a sign of
conviviality. A clever way for Cahors to express, both in the glass and out,
its originality.

The tasting was organized to give a fascinating overview of the 2005 vintage
in Cahors, with 21 out of the 25 bottles taken from that year. Yet to round
things out and give glimpses of other angles - of the Malbec grape at other
stages of maturity and bottle age - there were examples, too, from 2000,
2003 and even 2006 (though the latter was one of the two "special guests": a
pair of Malbecs from Argentina).

As tasters made their way along the tables, sniffing and swirling, sipping,
spitting and discussing, the traits of Cahors came to the fore. Some, such
as Château La Caminade's 2005 La Commandery, had spicy, clove and peppery
notes. Others, such as Clos Troteligotte's 2005 CQFD had smoky, bacon-fat
notes and softer tannins. Domaine du Prince's 2003 Lou Prince had a breeze
of freshness blowing through it, remarkable for that hot vintage; its two
more years of age showed its tannins smoothing out. And Château Lagrézette's
2000 Le Pigeonnier boldly wore its new oak on a backbone of rich, sun-baked
fruits, with a youthfulness that was remarkable for a wine already eight
years old.

One thing these Cahors had in common was an unabashed dark robustness, with
a goodly amount of tannins. What better fodder for cutting through the fat
of a duck leg confit or matching with other hearty stewed dishes of France's
gastronomic Southwest?

Participants were able to put the wine-food pairing to the test at a
sit-down lunch following the tasting. A truffle risotto with fresh truffles
from the Quercy, thick-sliced and heady, resounded off the rootsy Cahors,
matching masterfully with Château Pineraie's 2005 L'Authentique, at one
table, with a refreshingly tannic yet also elegant balance to it. After this
earthy dish, the wines met their ideal match in a duck breast tournedos with
Espelette pepper jus and a potato and shitake galette. Not afraid of the bit
of spice in the Espelette pepper, and cutting lightly through the hearty
duck meat, the match was ideal.

And as the generosity of the winemakers present could be felt in the
enthusiastic conversations, with tastes, re-tastes and comparisons, Paris
and Cahors were also quite a fine match, that day.