French Malbec (Entries tagged as evelyne)

Cahors wines listed in New York

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:13:23 +0100

You might remember that Cahors organized a tasting at the Astor Center in New York on May 12, 2009. That day, I met the young bartender of Domaine wine bar, Cyprian, in Queens. Since then, Domaine Wine Bar listed some Cahors wines available by the glass. If you're in NYC, enjoy!

Malbec, a new rising category in the US?

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:29:19 +0200

Traveling West in the US is always a good way to feel the rising trends in the wine industry. California produces 80% of the wine produced in the US but is also a state open to many imported wines. The wine consumers are more aware of the new trends and willing to try new wines, new brands and new grapes.

While dining in a restaurant in San Luis Obispo, Ca., a customer told his friend he recently discovered a new style of wines produced from the Malbec grape. He bought his first bottle at Costco and fell in love with the wine. Since then, he keeps tasting every Malbec wines he can find in stores or on wine lists of restaurants. He said he loved the smoothness and fruity taste of the malbec. Up to that day he had tasted only Argentinian Malbec but was ready to try some others if he had the opportunity.

This story confirms the rise of interest for the Malbec in the US. A local wine store owner was telling me that malbec is still not very known on the West Coast because very few local wine makers were producing it. But it is a rising category - either in blends or as itself in a 100% Malbec wine.

Malbec in California: Peachy Canyon Winery

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:56:01 +0200

Peachy Canyon Winery is more famous for its Zinfandel than for its Malbec. In 2006, Doug Beckett and his team launched a new brand, Ms Behave, a 100% Malbec wine, with a lovely label.

The (almost) frivolous label should not hide the hard work behind producing the wine. Peachy Canyon Estate Vineyards are farmed using sustainable practices. The plot where the Malbec is planted is on a rather high altitude and as such helps producing quality vintages. In good years, the winery produces about 300 cases of its Ms Behave brand.

The 2006 vintage was their first one but is already showing very well after about 2 hours of opening. Floral and fruity aromas made a food-friendly wine in California style.

Malbec in California: Dave Corey

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:35:14 +0200

Malbec in California is still a very small and confidential category. Some wine makers are getting interested in this difficult but rewarding grape when their terroir shows aptitude to grow it. This is the case of Dave Corey in his Core winery. Dave makes no mystery of his love for the wines of South western France: he's an admirer of grapes such as Mourvèdre, Grenache and, of course, Malbec.

Dave Corey's main vineyard is located in eastern Santa Barbara County in the Cuyama Valley. Alta Mesa Vineyard sits perched above Santa Barbara Highlands Vineyard at 3200 feet in elevation. Directly southwest of the vineyard is a close look of Cuyama Peak at 5300 feet in elevation, a feature of the Sierra Madre Mountain Range and part of the Los Padres National Forest. The high altitude of his vineyard is one of the reasons for the adaptation of the Malbec grape. Like in Cahors where the best Malbecs come from the highest vineyards, Dave's Malbec thrives in Alta Mesa.

Dave's Malbec is part of his Turchi brand. It is 95% Malbec with 5% Merlot. His 2007 Turchi Malbec, "Block I", Santa Barbara Highlands is aged in 50% new Hungarian oak, 50% one year old Hungarian oak for 16 months in barrel. Unfortunately, Dave produces usually around 100 cases of his delicious Malbec: a small but outstanding production.

Chateau Vincens' new blog in French

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:13:33 +0200

Château Vincens, from the Cahors Appellation, has now a blog in French where the most recent news on the vineyard's evolution and the wine making are posted regularly.

"Variations on a Malbec theme"

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:39:42 +0200

The South Beach Wine Club recently offered some Malbec wines to its customers. As the author, Randy, wrote elegantly, "Today, the quality of Cahors wines is on the upswing, and there’s never been a better time to try them. The foremost features of Cahors’ proud tradition remain firmly entrenched – namely, a penchant for deep flavor and sumptuous richness – while modern vineyard and winery techniques round out the old formula with heightened complexity and finesse."

Randy recommends his loyal customerrs to try Cahors Malbecs and we hope they'll follow his sound advice. Enjoy!

A Dream Trip to Cahors

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:59:12 +0200

Blogger Fran Golden spent a few days in the Cahors area, the Malbec birthplace. She had a room at the beautiful Château de Mercuès from where she toured the region. Discover her fairy tale travel and her tastings in her blog!

Don't cry for... Cahors!

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:25:28 +0200

"Don't cry for Argentina", said the song. I say, "Don't cry for Cahors" because their Malbec is back on the scene. Weirdly enough, a lot of articles or blog posts don't give credit to Cahors for the success of Malbec in Argentina. "Forgotten grape", "disrespected French grape", "obscure area of Cahors" - that's what I read daily and especially today in an article of the Daily Loaf.

Fortunately, the truth is very different. Malbec didn't originate in Bordeaux, but in Cahors. Cahors was famous all over the world from the Middle Ages to the phylloxera tragedy for the quality of its famous "black wine". It was a French man who imported Malbec to Argentina at the end of the 19th Century: without the initiative of this pioneer, Malbec wouldn't have taken roots in Argentina. It is true that the talent of Argentine wine makers made the success of their wines.

But the Cahors Malbec is still on the map, being the second producer of Malbec in the world, right after Argentina. All together the two countries produce 80% of the Malbec of the world. The Cahors Malbec is a fine and elegant wine coming in various styles: tender and fruity, feisty and powerful, intense and complex. Not a lot of brands are available in the US but the few a wine lover can buy are worth the try. Different from their Argentine counterparts, they are a different but outstanding expression of this lovely grape, Malbec.