45 wines tasted, 40 wines selected, only 1 wine with 18 points, 6 wines with 17 points…

GC 2010 - drink from 2018 till 2026 (18/20)
Even if it looks similar at the first glance to the cuvee Le Cèdre, the other top wine from this famous producer, it differs by its particular harmony and style: a more complex flavour, its impressive elegance, its stunning, crystal-clear fruitiness, the class of its tannins and its superb freshness.

Le Cèdre 2010 – drink from 2016 till 2026 (17/20)
Tremendously complex, smoky bouquet. Of perfect and harmonious, as well as dense and juicy structure. Long, very long fresh final. Gorgeous wine, ready to savour now due to its cherry accents and great style. But it will age well for a long time. This evokes memories of the Toscana.

The color of this overripe Chardonnay, aged for several months in oak barrels, without topping up, is already very charming – golden, deep and shiny…

Shortly afterwards, my nose faces a veritable explosion of aromas. Dried fruits like apricot and apple, but also pear and fresh almonds, butter and hay, fresh oak wood and a hint of smoke. Full-bodied en generous, even fat and juicy, but not heavy or thick at all, as a nicely perceptible acidity keeps the wine upright.

Interesting: a slight tannins structure, surely coming from oak ageing, that coats the palate on the final.
A “revelation”: This wine at the end of a cold winter day, around a campfire with freshly grilled chestnuts…

Cahors had a historically small harvest in 2010, mainly due to shatter or coulure (during difficult climatic conditions at the time of budburst, causing buds to fall to the ground). The high quality of the grapes allowed carrying out skin macerations for several weeks, slowly extracting tannins and aromas. According to their character and needs, the wines were aged either in concrete tanks, 500 litre casks or bigger wooden vats for two years. Today they fully express the high quality potential of the vintage. The wines finish their ripening in bottles, before being available in April.
In order to present the vintage to you in a pre-première, you will find here the comments of Anthony Rose, he published on his wine blog in December (Read the complete article „Cahors black magic“ at Anthonyrosewine.com).

Château du Cèdre 2010
Dense colour, fine aromatic quality, lovely black fruits concentration with subtle oak influence and very juicy fresh succulent red and black fruit and mulberry quality with a fine blade of damsony freshness on the finish and really nicely judged fine-grained tannins that help keep the wine in good proportion. Not a blockbuster but a very drinkable and moreish style. 92

2010 Château du Cèdre Le Cèdre
Fine nose deep colour, lovely freshness and purity of mulberryish aromas, delicious mulberry and cherry fruit vinosity on the palate, showing richness an concentration, subtle oak and firm spine of acidity bringing a real verve and freshness to the wine which is supple textured and finishes with a refreshing, mineral twist. Lovely overall balance of fruit, structure and minerality. 94

2010 Château du Cèdre GC
Good dense colour, aromatic, lovely black cherry fruit richness and concentration , lovely spicy black fruits richness, very juicy, fine subtle oak, very good intensity of fruit with lovely supple textured tannins and juicy freshness supported by great structure a wine that despite its power and richness melts in the mouth. Lovely fruit quality. 94+

Let’s not waste time on colour and other visual aspects of this wine. The truth that “wine is made for drinking and not for watching” applies to this cuvee ever since its creation. Mainly made of Carignan grapes, supported by equal parts of Syrah and Cinsault, as well as a smaller percentage of Grenache and Mourvèdre.

A real representative of southern France, that never tried to please at any price, but whose taste always pleased… A seductive peasant, honest, simple and pleasant.

The nose of the 2011 vintage is rich, full of black fruit, oak, roast and smoke aromas, as well as forest floor. Medium-bodied and smooth, with crispy acidity and pleasant, fine tannins. It shows a quite long final, with ripe fruits, fresh marmalade and some spices.

This bottle of wine is easy – easy to match with many recipes and every days food, easy to introduce to your friends, easy to open, easy to drink, easy to like…

Six months after bottling we would like to refer to a new look at our Prestige des Hautes Garrigues and the stunning 2010 vintage.

At the first sniff, the nose is rather reserved, but it opens up quickly, evolving towards intensity and aromatic complexity. A lot of fruit and wild herbs – sweet and sour cherry, blueberry and raspberry, laurel and rosemary – attest the youth of the wine in the same way as cocoa, blond tobacco and cinnamon witness its ageing in wooden tanks for 18 months. On the palate freshness and minerality rule over volume and power, creating an elegant and feminine wine, whose powerful tannin structure though should not be underestimated. Pepper mingles with fruits, smoke with wild herbs, while dried figs and preserved lemons give length and depth to the final.

According to Robert Parker, this wine is sensational. “Its inky/purple color is accompanied by glorious aromas of creme de cassis, kirsch, blackberries and a cornucopia of roasted herb, meat and licorice smells. It possesses fabulous intensity, a multidimensional mouthfeel and a tremendously long finish that lasts 40+ seconds. This beauty should drink well for two decades.”

Somebody may ask, which is the best moment to drink our wines. Being able to age for long years, one may be tempted to leave them in the cellar, being afraid to open them too early. Recent tasting of the wines we’ve bottled earlier this year offers a good occasion for us to present our point of view.

Since many years we multiply our efforts to enhance the “drinkability” of our wines as “young ones”. For us, organic farming, grape ripeness and gentle extraction during vinification are the main factors to achieve this. Of course there is a difference in taste and odour between a young wine and one that has been ripening for 10 years in a bottle. But to enjoy one or the other finally depends on our palate and preference.

But let’s start at the beginning, with our Cuvée Héritage 2010. We recommend tasting this wine within the next 5 years. Delicate but showing quite some character, it belongs to those we won’t hesitate to open, whenever we feel for a good glass of red: Barbeque, Pizza, Coq au Vin, during the week or in the weekend, with family or friends… A very flexible and social wine, that suits to many occasions.

Coming to the Château du Cèdre 2009, the nose gains complexity, luscious tannins arrive on the palate, and it all becomes a little more serious. Even more if you consider that this cuvee made from Tannat, Merlot and quite an amount of Malbec will easily age up to ten years in your cellar. In its youth, one will particularly appreciate its powerful scent full of fruit and freshness, while spices, woody smells and smooth tannins will reward our patience. Young and slightly chilled, it perfectly matches to a grilled steak, after a certain time of ageing, it enhances our appetite for an autumn dish with fresh mushrooms and game.

The cuvee Le Cèdre probably is our most glamorous wine. Pure Malbec, aged for many months in wood, it shows great elegance on every level and an affectation for special occasions: Birthdays, weddings, New Years Eve, but also on the occasion of a sophisticated dinner with very old friends. Every one of us as his own definition of an opportunity that demands a particular bottle of wine.

The GC loves slowness. Its an effigy of its terroir and fully presents the flavourful power of the Malbec grape. It opens up after three to four years of ripening in barrels and bottles, revealing its complexity of taste and odour over the years. A wine you should listen to, as even we don’t know the fragrances it will reveal to seduce you within the next 15 to 20 years.

You see, there are many reasons and occasions to open a bottle of Cahors wine. So do not hesitate, you will certainly enjoy the experience.