Does wine need more freedom? We do not have an answer yet. If we intervene as little as possible in the cellar, we nevertheless keep a close watch on our wines and the creation of our Cahors Extra Libre became possible only after years of preparation in the vineyards.

Being a free wine, the Cahors Extra Libre immediately shows its (black) colour. Wild berries, spices and pipe tobacco ... a seemingly indomitable bouquet. At ease in the glass, it quickly moderates its temper, showing more fruit and delicate fragrances of violet and elderflower. On the palate the wine surprises as much, appearing airy as well as dense and compact. However, though extremely delicate, the wine never tries to deny its roots from Cahors, as coined by the spiciness and cedar wood character on the final.

A wine that surprises us by its expressiveness and its diversity, sticking close to its origin and grape variety. He’s definitely free, this Cahors ...

It almost seems a bit silly to point out that a wine comes up with aromas and taste of fresh grapes. Isn’t that obvious? Well, it’s not that obvious at all, because through maturity, vinification and aging certain wines may somehow drift away from the initial raw material. Thus, their bouquets suggest a big amount of fruits (peach, apricot, fig, banana ...), spices (cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, star anise ...) and even plants (fern, mint, hay ...), thus hiding the grapes.

This is not so in this case. This wine is pure grapes! I even hear hear the crunching of the berries in my head at each sip. Being a good ol’ traditional Languedoc wine, it’s manly made of CARIGNAN, GRENACHE and CINSAULT, nevertheless authorizing the grandiose SYRAH to participate in the feast. A few months of ageing in concrete tanks protects the wine from outside temperatures in a natural way, preserving freshness and authenticity.

Fresh grapes, cherry, currant and strawberry, as well as a tad of elderberry wood and that’s it! Smooth on the palate, with crisp acidity and fine, low profile tannins. Generous and fluid, it will help all CARNIVORES to finish the BBQ season. During fall, with its rain and decreasing temperatures, it will enhance the taste of a coq au vin or add a little sunshine to a risotto with sun-dried tomatoes and prosciutto. Being a true multi talented wine, it will also offer many opportunities for HERBIVORES to feast: the first fried mushrooms, penne all’arrabiata, risotto with porcini mushrooms… You name it!

"You know, this is a wine that I am obviously liking right now, but I could see laying a few bottles of this down for 2 or 4 years, and see some interesting development on it. Good stuff!

I particularly love this punchy red wine in summer! What really strikes when tasting it, is the liveliness and freshness that it displays. Moderately tannic, I would describe it as being crispy and vigorous, with just enough generosity as it needs. Could we call a wine from Cahors being thirst-quenching? Yes we can, as this wine is living proof! It’s is a young, enthusiastic and happy wine...

I forgot to mention its visual and olfactory aspects? Please excuse me: It’s black and purple as a real Malbec should be, having a lovely bouquet of fresh black fruit, with hints of violet and notes caramelized hazelnuts.

CARNIVORE wine-lovers among us will be delighted to discover this red wine, that strongly supports long BBQ-evenings in summer. But it will also comfort the HERBIVORE connoisseur by sublimating a fresh tomato salad with feta cheese and black olives and perfectly matches to all kind of grilled summer vegetables.

When a winegrower from Gigondas infers his expertise to the stony and sandy soils of La Crau and the Saintes Vièrges, a refreshing breeze seems to rise on these terroirs of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Bottled since spring, the 2012 vintage is living proof!

Its color is soothing: blood red, very clear, with a slight touch of purple. The first nose is very fresh, very fruity, followed by a relatively quick opening on sweet spices, pepper and balsamic aromas. A young and tonic bouquet, that lingers for long time on the palate.
Slightly salty, the wine has a stony, chalky structure. Hard to tell if this is due to its mineral character or to its delicate, very fresh and young tannins. Hard to tell also, because this Grenache and Mourvèdre based wine, already delicious but built for the future, seems in no hurry to reveal all its secrets.

The solution? Be patient, find him a place in your cellar and make it your dinner companion for the next 10 years.

HERBIVORE SUPPORT: roast vegetables, fried mushrooms or a smooth curry made of seasonal vegetables ...

CARNIVORE SUPPORT: Veal cutlet with red wine sauce, filet mignon with mustard and guinea fowl with morels in its youth. Pheasant saltimbocca alla romana (wrapped in sage and prosciutto), roast pigeon with porcini mushrooms and matured cheese like « Epoisses » after a few years of aging.

This wine “entirely made by hand” exists since 14 years. The vineyards which he comes from accumulate almost 400 years. Its composition almost was heresy in the beginning of this millennium, as proves the story that sounded the death warrant of its predecessor: an AOC MINERVOIS from the vintage 1999, made only from PICPOUL NOIR. Sales of this product were officially banned, due to the grape variety it was made from. PICPOUL NOIR however is an official grape variety of MINERVOIS and several other prestigious appellations, such as CHATEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE. A stroke of luck, finally, because this incident aroused the envy of PIERRE to go even further and create this unique blend, entirely made from prohibited, unpopular and unloved varietals (PICPOUL NOIR, ARAMON, ALICANTE & CARIGNAN).

Today, some of these varietals almost have disappeared from the map. They were partly replaced by other varieties, so called « improving varieties ". This seems to have led to a reduction of the diversity in French vineyards and in consequence to a certain loss of variety in tastes over the last 40 years. Only 10 grape varieties now cover 70% of the vineyard area cultivated in France, with a total of 40 varieties playing an important role economically.

On Vinparleur we defend a very simple policy: we love all grape varieties, without any exception. The more, the better!

To convince those who are still in doubt, please find here our impression of PIERRE CROS’ MAL AIMÉS (THE UNLOVED) 2012:

Clear garnet color, slightly hazy due to bottling without filtration, this Vin de France (formerly Vin de Table) impresses with its intense and bright bouquet of red and black fruits, especially marked by the luscious fruity-vegetal character of Cassis and a handful of black olives. In bottles for two years, it opens in a few minutes, enriching its bouquet with aromas of pastry and a little cocoa. The mouth is rather light and smooth with a refreshing acidity. Low in tannins, this wine still has a beautiful silky structure and slight tanin grip giving length and character. Drink now, or cellar for another 2-3 years.

HERBIVORE SUPPORT eggplant lasagna, without an hesitation!
CARNIVORE SUPPORT You’ll be spoiled for choice: grilled lamb chops, black pudding, roast pork, raw ham, boar pâté, coq au vin ...

PS FOR THE CURIOUS, here are some figures for these varieties:
ARAMON: 150 230 hectares planted in 1958 - 9084 hectares in 2004.
Carignan: It covered 43% of Languedoc-Roussillon’s vineyards in 1979, against 13.5% in 2010.
PICPOUL NOIR: some residual 200 hectares planted in 1990.
If you add details of these varieties with the surfaces of CINSAULT NOIR, TERRET and GRENACHE BLANC, ALICANTE BOUCHET and MACABEU these traditional varieties of the Mediterranean vineyards add a drop of 260 000 hectares between 1979 and 2010 ...

" It looks like every vineyard gave us grapes with a lot of character and personality, which is rather promising for the blending and the ageing to be done.”
That’s what Yves Gras said right after harvest in November 2012. Today the wines have completed their maturation period and the whole expression of the grapes, the terroir and the vintage is now in bottles.

This Gigondas shows a strong fruity expression of redcurrant and blackcurrant, enriched by subtle aromas of laurel and rosemary.It’s straightforward with lively acidity, and delicate, savory tannins. A long, mineral finish, slightly salty.

HERBIVORE SUPPORT : Try some sauteed pumpkin with cumin and chillies (not too spicy !) on this wine. It also loves cheese...
CARNIVORE SUPPORT : give me some LAMB !

No less than four terroirs (Rasteau, Vacqueyras, Roaix and Séguret), six varieties (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan, Cinsault and Clairette), and several people (including Yves and Robin) contributed to this stunning red Côtes du Rhône 2012.

And what a red! Ruby, shiny and deep... a true gem in the glass. He welcomes me with a generous bucket of fresh red and black fruit, filled to the top with raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and black currants. Black pepper, bay leaf and rosemary add pleasant freshness and lots of nature. Full-bodied, moderately tannic, pleasantly fresh, straightforward and precise ... You can say what you want, THIS is a real first class “Côtes du Rhône”.

You will love to have this wine in your cellar, because it fits to every occasion requiring a very good bottle of red wine. But be careful. When the word spreads, the number of friends that pay you a spontaneous visit could rise dramatically ...

CARNIVOR SUPPORT: Mediterranean cuisine in all variants: Pork, beef, lamb or chicken, peppered and salted, with grilled vegetables and olive oil.

HERBIVORE SUPPORT: Still Mediterranean cuisine in all its variants, without pork, beef, lamb or chicken... Just a lot of grilled vegetables in olive oil, served with rice or toasted garlic bread.