Three Days in Cahors, in pictures Last week I spent three days in Cahors digging into the distinctive growing conditions of the region, as well as a wealth of local foods, and scenery.
I was also interviewed by an online news site, and a French newspaper while there. Here are the links to those articles.
Medialot: https://medialot.fr/vin-de-cahors-elaine-chukan-brown-sous-le-charme-des-terroirs-de-lappellation/
Ladepeche: https://www.ladepeche.fr/2019/09/28/en-ambassadrice-du-cahors-elle-va-exporter-ses-coups-de-coeur-aux-etats-unis,8444677.php
While traveling my own updates along the way were shared on Instagram . Here’s a look at my time in the region as shared while there.
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Fabien Jouves Vigneron, Cahors – all about freshness, tension, energy, and flavor. Dynamic wines from Cahors – Malbec aged three ways (Les Acacias in large wood, Amphoras in clay, B763 in concrete egg (the last two with no sulfur addition, the Les Acacias with almost no sulfur addition) – and Chenin with full malo, lees contact, no sulfur additions, and killer natural acidity. All four grown in limestone. All super dynamic, clean, and energizing. These are exciting wines to see from Cahors. #cahors #france #wine
A post shared by Elaine Chukan Brown (@hawk_wakawaka) on Sep 26, 2019 at 3:56pm PDT
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The Baldès Family – Jean-Luc, Juliette, Sabine, Clos Triguedina, Cahors – Clos Triguedina has been producing wine since the 1830s, with 7 generations of vintners, 5 generations bottling their own wine, making them one of the longest family-winery histories in the region for modern Cahors. The region has been growing wine since the 6th century. The Baldès family also have been forerunners in the region with preserving old vines, producing white wine of high quality, selling wine of Cahors internationally, and bottling single vineyard Malbec. Jean-Luc’s grandfather and great grandfather together bottled their wine to sell in the region. Jean-Luc’s grandfather was the first in Cahors to sell wine in the US. With his father Jean-Luc brought back a Medieval practice local to the region of drying Malbec to make what they call The New Black Wine. Juliette has just started harvest becoming the 7th generation of vintner in the family. They explain the name of their winery goes back to a local idea of food and community. The region has its own dialect. It also sits on the Camino trail. The name Triguedina is the phrase pilgrims on the trail used to say when they were asking residents of Cahors for a meal. #cahors #france #wine @clostriguedina
A post shared by Elaine Chukan Brown (@hawk_wakawaka) on Sep 27, 2019 at 11:04am PDT
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Bruno Jouves, Rico’chai, Cahors – Bruno Jouves spent over twenty years hunting hillsides, forests, old vineyards, abandoned sites searching for two white grape varieties – Noual, and Plot – native to the valley of the Lot River, and Cahors. He had read about, then studied what he could of the varieties in centuries-old historical texts. Both are so obscure that after so much time he finally found two plants of each. He has continued to slowly expand from those first plants to around 60 of Noual, and 18 vines of Plot. He is currently one of the only, if not the only, producer to work with either white variety though he has since also given plants to the region’s research vineyard so that both can be preserved and other producers can plant them as well. #cahors #france #wine
A post shared by Elaine Chukan Brown (@hawk_wakawaka) on Sep 28, 2019 at 11:03pm PDT
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Morning in Cahors – it has been a rich, while quick, visit to Cahors, + has left me intrigued + interested in the continued growth + potential of the region’s wines. It feels like a French paradox – the last uncharted, great region of France. History has told us repeatedly of the incredible talent intrinsic to Cahors. Circumstances of the last century – phylloxera in the late 1800s, followed by the profound limitations of grafting + rootstock, then the impact of both World Wars – mean the region lost several generations, that is a tome of knowledge + experience, of wine growing insight. Since the 1960s, the people of Cahors have worked to rebuild the infrastructure, practices + communion of winemakers to reclaim the wines of Cahors. Tasting through the region (I managed to get in 50 – 80 wines a day, most in or beside their vineyards) feels like catching glimpses of the region’s greatness re-emerging. Studying the growing conditions + history, then driving the area, feels like spotting the specter of potentially great vineyard sites through the hillsides. Indeed in places the faint glimmer of stone walls that used to outline historic vineyards can still be seen through the forests of today. Farming + vinification practices are coming home. Farmers here are swiftly converting to organics and biodynamics. No till viticulture is taking hold. Concrete vats and vessels as well as foudre, with an interest in greater transparency, are filling cellars. It’s been a worthwhile visit. This last morning I have the chance to gather my thoughts a bit + indulge in breakfast in bed. My health has been mixed while here. I have struggled with feeling ill the whole trip while taking greater flexibility with my diet too. The combination makes travel both more special + more poignant. Feeling the fragility that comes with health issues means staying vigilant over if my health is crossing any warning lines, while also accepting discomfort as manageable. It also means greater appreciation for the opportunity of a trip like this. And a greater commitment to the clarity, care + integrity of work I value. Thank you to Cahors for having me. I am grateful. #cahors #france #wine
A post shared by Elaine Chukan Brown (@hawk_wakawaka) on Sep 29, 2019 at 12:17am PDT
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Enjoyed following your trip, especially as I was in Cahors visiting Triguedina, Château du Cedrè, and Château de Chambert the day after your visit. Tasting wine from each of the three levels of soil development was !!!
This is armchair traveling at its best. The only thing missing from my trip this evening was the wine itself.
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