When I say the word “Malbec”, you likely start thinking of Guachos and massive cuts of steak, and of big blue fruited wines growing on the slopes of the Andes Mountains in Argentina. There’s nothing wrong with that, but what if I could show you something different?

Crocus L'Atelier Cahors 2018

• Sale $19.99
• Buy six or More Pay $17.99
• Buy a case $15.99

92 pts Wine Spectator

In the past year, the Wine Spectator has reviewed 1,425 reds under $20. This is one of just TEN to rate 92 pts. The top 1%! Nothing but the best for you! Although, caveat... there are only 20 cases to go around.

This is Cahors. It’s a small town of around 23,000 people situated on this striking u-bend on the Lot river, 100 miles east of Bordeaux. If you look closely at the picture (click on it to get a high-res version), you can see the Medieval buildings interspersed with the modern. Beyond, you can see rolling hills and farms. It’s a gorgeous, dramatic region situated in the Haut-Pays (the high country), and it’s also home to one of the worlds most important wine regions. 

The town of Cahors lies about 100 miles east of Bordeaux, on the banks of the Lot river. Viticulture was first brought to this region by the Romans in the conquest of Gaul in 50 BC. Equidistant from the Atlantic (to the west) and Mediterranean to the (southeast), the Cahors region has very unique climate. The winters cold but the summers much sunnier and warmer than Bordeaux, producing near perfect phenolic ripeness with ease. In fact, before AOC stipulations prevented it, the Malbec grown in Cahors was often used to add color and body to the wines of Bordeaux. While Cahors once outranked Bordeaux in prominence, phylloxera and devastating frosts decimated their vineyards to less than a 6th of their size in the 1800s.

However today Cahors is in the middle of a renaissance. A ton of investment has been made in the region over the past two decades and a new wave of young vignerons are producing some of the finest wines the region has ever produced. A lot of these new Cahors reds are consumed locally. If you’re visiting France’s Sud-Ouest and dining in Toulouse, Carcassonne, or Narbonne chances are it’s a great bottle of Cahors you’ll be enjoying at the dinner table.

Classic dishes from the region you might consider to pair with include foie gras pâté, a truffle omelette, roasted leg of lamb, and Rocamadour goat’s cheese. Hmm... definitely robust sturdy food, but surely there must be something lighter to eat during the summer months and still enjoy with a glass of Cahors? Well, I just spent 30 minutes perusing menus from the top restaurants in Cahors to see what they are serving NOW... and, well... it's some sturdy stuff! Lamb is particularly popular today.. how 'bout an herb-crusted rack of lamb? Hmm... click on the pic for a recipe

"Fresh violet, cherry blossom, red and black fruit such as Burlat cherry and blackcurrant jam, finishing with a soft hint of spices. The palate is smooth, giving black cherry, fresh raspberry and ripe blueberry flavors. Its persistence ends with firm tannins and bright acidity." winery note

"A fluid red, with blackberry, blueberry and plum flavors accented by vanilla and clove. Firmly structured, with a sense of grace and harmony despite the chalky tannins. Drink now through 2028." WS


Or reply. Available Thursday in both stores.