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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 87.2 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 65 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Winiac on 1/13/2021 & rated 90 points: Well balanced, acid minus. Good structure but lacks charm. (1236 views) | | | Tasted by kdubler on 7/21/2020: FWS Bordeaux and Southwest tasting 2020; 7/21/2020-7/22/2020: This wine is just starting to open up. Cahors often need 10+ years to settle down, and even this wine at $20 needs years to really drink properly.
Dark fruit driven with some bloody and roasted meat aromas. This is still a baby, just starting to hit its drinking window but likely will not peak for a decade.
I like wine with age, but if you want a young fruity red Cahors may not be the place to look. If you want something that can age for 20+ years and still only cost $20 it's a great place to look. (1403 views) | | | Tasted by IlonaN on 4/11/2018 & rated 90 points: Still plenty of life left in this wine. Rich and interesting to drink with Easter roast lamb. (2092 views) | | | Tasted by pepmi on 10/24/2014 & rated 84 points: Despite the Kermit Lynch endorsement, we found this wine close to undrinkable. Dark, dense, octopus black-ink color. Very closed showing more bramble than berry. Sharp, narrow and tannic in the mouth. Think chunky. The finish is more a punch than a sweet kiss goodbye. Given the plethora of drinkable, fun, food friendly wines under $20.00, this wine should be pushed to the back of the shelf. Pick any region of the world and you'll find at least 10 other choices that should be put ahead of the list. (5411 views) | | | Tasted by Yme on 9/29/2014: Smooth and quite restraint. Quite the opposite when tasted 2 years ago. Aroma and flavour profiles are similar with dark fruits (blackcurrants, black cherries, plum), oak and earthy spice. Medium bodied, well integrated tannins and alcohol. Good balance. (5268 views) | | | Tasted by woody0198 on 6/24/2014 & rated 92 points: Awesome (5108 views) | | | Tasted by BouzyRouge on 2/9/2014: Decent initial impression, but hollowed out mid-palate. Highly tannic. Not a favorite. Tasted alongside the 08 which showed much better. (1330 views) | | | Tasted by ian02054 on 2/4/2014 & rated 88 points: - Garnet color. (5084 views) | | | Tasted by Edouard84 on 11/23/2013 & rated 88 points: Pleasantly surprised (5432 views) | | | Tasted by Darkhorn on 6/3/2013 & rated 89 points: Solid. Same as previous. (3777 views) | | | Tasted by turiandnate on 3/23/2013 & rated 90 points: Full bodied, fine structure. Not as in-your-face ad I was hoping for, but not a bad thing. Smooth finish. (4162 views) | | | Tasted by turiandnate on 3/22/2013 & rated 90 points: Full bodied, fine structure. Not as in-your-face ad I was hoping for, but not a bad thing. Smooth finish. (3687 views) | | | Tasted by bpj87 on 3/8/2013 & rated 88 points: Sweet fruited, within the lines, round, and supple. (3167 views) | | | Tasted by Doblk on 3/1/2013 & rated 82 points: Mild earth and oak nose. Big and grapey. Very harsh and acidic at first. Took a couple of hours to soften, but not bad after that. (1120 views) | | | Tasted by Darkhorn on 2/24/2013 & rated 89 points: Same as previous. (2967 views) | | | Tasted by Alain Harvey on 1/26/2013 & rated 88 points: Color: Dark center with purple red edges.
Nose & Palate: Rose petals, some iron and earth, blackberry, great fruit depth, ample acidity and wonderfully fine grained tannins. A touch of dusty lilacs and roasted herbs taper off with the finish.
Easy drinking and complex enough to keep you interested. This is a wonderful Malbec at a great price. (2453 views) | | | Tasted by pgb67 on 12/26/2012 & rated 90 points: An interesting wine which strikes me as a blend of Rhone and Bordeaux - the nose shows some grenache-like red fruits and syrah-like bacon (Rhone) while the velvety mouthfeel and gentle cassis flavors reminds one of Bordeaux. Fresh tasting with some nice development in the glass over time. (2602 views) | | | Tasted by Troyboy1993 on 12/22/2012 & rated 90 points: Another great selection from legendary importer Kermit Lynch. Even better that you can find this wine for under $15! This wine has a lot going on. Mellow cedar notes, integrated but not overwhelming cherry fruit, perfume and subtle floral notes. This is what a Malbec should be like! (2551 views) | | | Tasted by Vinotas on 11/30/2012: Popped and poured from a magnum at Landmarc in NYC ($82). For a large group of non-winos, this was perfect: soft red and black fruit, some oak, a hint of sweet berries, medium/short finish. The nose and palate were seamlessly in tune, however if I were blinded on this I'd never guess Cahors, that's for sure.
Where's the rusticity? Where's the strength? Where's the structure? This is Cahors made for the South American Malbec lovers, not for someone like me who's looking for terroir.
But, as I said, perfect for a group of non-winos, easy to drink, and good with our steaks. (2876 views) | | | Tasted by tooch on 11/23/2012 & rated 81 points: Thanksgiving Week Wines; 11/22/2012-11/25/2012 (Edison, NJ): Dark and spicy, this had a lot of plum, cinnamon, and smoke. The palate was juicy and slightly warm. Lots of plum, raspberry and smokey vanilla notes. Not incredibly exciting. (3656 views) | | | Tasted by Yme on 10/13/2012 & rated 88 points: WSET style tasting note
Colour - clear, moderate purple
Nose - moderate intensity, intense but elegant nose of plum, blackberries, vanilla, earth, violets
Palate - medium to full bodied, moderate acidity, high tannins, plenty of dark fruits and oak with some earthy herbs and violets. Long length.
Very nice and as it required loads of meaty protein to do it justice, it went very well with a medium rare cote de beouf with multiple sides of creamed spinach, sauted mushrooms and parmesan gnocchi in garlic oil. (3069 views) | | | Tasted by rwsteers on 9/25/2012 & rated 87 points: Darker and more tannic than the '08. Rich blackberry color but earthy on the palate with a hint of seed tannin. Probably needs a bit more age to develop. (3087 views) | | | Tasted by Mike Kopanski on 9/5/2012 & rated 88 points: So here we get to taste a Malbec from France. We draw on our extensive experience drinking as many Argentinian Malbecs we can get our hands on, to compare. This one compares well. There is no doubt about the red raspberry meets plum and blackberry fruit profile. There are plenty of earthy, chalky, gritty flavor components that remind us this is Old World. Nice, expressive, ripe, mostly plum and blackberry fresh fruit that shares approximately half the flavor profile with some enhancing secondary flavors like light tobacco, a little bit of tar, vanilla, and graphite. Way more tannins than we get from Argentina. Very much an Old World wine that pays some attention to New World characteristics. The fruit in this wine really emerged with some swirling and time in the glass. Nice job. (3561 views) | | | Tasted by Darkhorn on 9/4/2012 & rated 89 points: Very nice old world Malbec blend. solid dark fruits, balanced with earthy forest floor, and solid tannins. Soft mouth feel with a long finish. (3048 views) | | | Tasted by MissHighwater on 8/26/2012 & rated 89 points: Chocolate orange peel nose. Rustic. Spicy fruit on palate. Soft tannin. Good with middle eastern lamb digs (3086 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Clos La Coutale Producer website
However, the U.S. Importer's pg, https://www.kermitlynch.com/our-wines/clos-la-coutale/ , may well contain more pertinent info -- including an update of the below.
Modern techniques but respecting traditional methods. All the grapes are destalked and pressed before fermentation in stainless steel vats, each grape variety from different parts of the vineyard being fermented separately. Maceration at 28º C. takes 15 days. The wines are fermented for three weeks on the skins, and the property has sufficient tank space to ferment 100% of their harvest at once. After racking from stainless steel, half of the wine goes into 60-gallon Seguin-Moreau barrels,while the balance is aged in 800-gallon foudre. The wine is blended and time spent (12 months) in oak vats gives it the special aromas of vanilla and silky tannins. The wine is bottled, unfiltered, after a year in wood. The blend is 70% Malbec (known locally as Cot), the traditional grape of the region, blended with 15% Merlot which gives finesse and bouquet, 15% Tannat which gives it its aging potential. Yields average 40-45 hl/ha (about 2.5 - tons/acre.)
Tasting notes
For decades Kermit Lynch has worked with Coutale, currently managed by a very cool Philippe Bernède, who don’t consider “prodigious concentration” and “sledgehammer on the palate” positive reviews. Philippe has reduced the proportion of Tannat in the blend over the years, preferring a wine with more balance and immediate pleasure, so the blend is now predominantly Malbec (with a touch of, gasp, Merlot - is that still a cuss word?). The 2006 is a particularly sexy vintage for Philippe, with very ripe, silky tannins and a perfumed finish. Don’t let the “feminine for Cahors” bit trip you, though. This is a deeply hued wine with a big, round palate and plenty of meaty tannin. It just happens to be even more versatile at table than usual.
Malbec BlendCordiscoFrance Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comSouthwest France Comité Interprofessionnel des Vins du Sud Ouest | Les vins du Tarn-et-Garonne on-lineCahors Le Vins de Cahors (L’Union Interprofessionnelle du Vin de Cahors)
The Cahors appellation is located in the département of Lot, which itself lies in the greater region known as Quercy. Sandwiched between the Dordogne and Toulouse, the rolling hills of the area that twist gently along with the River Lot provides the visitor with a fairy tale view around each bend; villages topping the peaks of small hills, blue sky and vine-covered expanses, castles tucked neatly into hillside folds or hanging precariously on the rim of a cliff...it's not surprising that this area attracts huge numbers of tourists and foreigners looking to buy retirement homes abroad! The Cahors vineyards date back to the Roman occupation, making them among the oldest in France.
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Cahors is a small town in southwestern France, located 100 miles (160km) east of Bordeaux. In wine terms it is known for its deeply colored reds made predominantly from Malbec (known locally as both Côt and Auxerrois), with small quantities of Tannat and Merlot. Interestingly, Cahors is the only red-wine appellation in the French south-west to use neither Cabernet Sauvignon nor Cabernet Franc. Malbec typically ripens midway through the growing season and produces small, intensely colored grapes. As it is so sensitive to its growing environment, the level of ripeness has a considerable effect on the structure of the eventual wine. Broadly speaking, French Malbec tends to be more meaty, rustic and tannic. Malbec wines are generally aged in oak to enhance the wine's structure and aging potential. |
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