I don’t know if Hellboy has a taste for this Vin Noir.
Cahors is definitely not an appelation that takes a lot of shelve space in most wine emporiums.
I
shared my enthusiasm for a recent purchase, Chateau La Coustarelle,
Grande Cuvee Prestige, Cahors (2004) with a few friends and
acquaintances only to be met with blank stares and the same question,
Cahors? What’s That?
Mostly Malbec would be the word.
This Chateau La Coustarelle is brought to us by Michel and Nadine Cassot, vigneron recoltants in Prayssac.
While their Cuvee Tradition is 80% Malbec and 20% Merlot, the Grande Cuvee Prestige blends 90% Malbec with 10% Tannat.
You can trace the existence of the Cahors vineyards all the way back to the Roman empire.
The ‘Vin Noir’ name is due to its almost purple robe.
Cahors was treated as a poor cousin and used to add color to Bordeaux Clarets…
Some call Cahors ‘palate staining’. It is definitely a hearty red.
History says that it was one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorites.
Getting back to Chateau La Coustarelle, Grande Cuvee Prestige it was aged in oak barriques.
Please note that is unfiltered and also a rich red, only 12,5 % alcohol.
It is part of the loose network Vigneron Independant which offers I think quite a few interesting small French producers. You can identify them by the label pictured below.
This Cahors is a great treat at around $14 (U.S price).
As a footnote to this story, let me mention that Eric Asimov in A Sip, a Tango: Malbec Old and New (NY Times, February 2006) stated that "France can’t even decide what to call the grape. It’s known
as malbec in Bordeaux, where very little has been grown since the
mid-1950’s, when many malbec vines succumbed to severe frosts. In
Cahors, its regional stronghold, malbec is called auxerrois, which is
especially confusing since if people think of auxerrois at all, they
think of a white grape by the same name in Alsace. And in the Loire,
malbec is known as côt.".
Sante!
Related: Psst…psh malbec 05…the road from Bordeaux to Mendoza