Here's a wine I have had on my list for a month or two, but have only just got around to tasting - young Cahors can be challenging, so I wanted to ensure I was in the right frame of mind before confronting it (and had a nice lump of medium-rare steak to pair it with)!
100% Malbec, aged for 20 months in oak barrels. This is not quite black, but it isn't far off - the colour is deep, dark, opaque purple with barely even a visible rim! On day one, it is pretty difficult to taste, such is the sheer taughtness of its structure, although there is clearly a very serious wine lurking beneath. On day 2, it begins to open-up and show real class, displaying intense aromas of bramble, blackcurrant, black cherry and plum, with background notes of damp earth, polished leather, cedar and charred oak. And whilst the tannins are still very grippy and tight, the fruit is much more expressive - ripe, extracted and spicy, though certainly not overtly rich or sweet, with plenty of balancing acidity. Previous vintages of this wine have come across as rather modern and - though possibly still built to last - made to be approachable at a relatively young age. This one, however, makes no attempt to please the moderinists and probably needs at least 5 more years (and possibly 10+) to even begin to show its true potential. But with that much structure - and that much fruit - this is a wine which will eventually blossom into something rather special - and blow many loftier (and far more expensive) so-called "classed growth" Clarets out of the water. 14.0% abv. £24.95.
No comments:
Post a Comment