Cahors Two Ways
by Tom Wolf
Cahors Two Ways
by Tom Wolf
If you were to walk into our brick-and-mortar shop at 1605 San Pablo Ave in Berkeley—or our new store at the Marin Country Mart—and ask for help putting together a case of twelve diverse French classics regardless of price, Clos La Coutale’s Cahors would make the cut every time. For four decades, this country red has shown remarkable consistency and charm—not to mention a sneaky amount of complexity and ageability. Every vintage has been a strong contender for our value of the year.
While Clos La Coutale, from the talented Philippe Bernède, is well known among our readers, his newer and smaller project, Château La Grave, is…well, newer and smaller. A little over a decade ago, Philippe’s neighbor, the former owner of La Grave, was retiring, and Philippe couldn’t resist the opportunity to interpret the Cahors appellation through a different terroir that yielded slightly deeper and spicier Malbec thanks to its elevation and prevalence of red clay and riverbed stones.
Tasting the 2023s side by side today, it’s hard to pick a favorite. The Coutale is bright and elegant, brimming with brambly fruit and a touch of cedar. La Grave, meanwhile, is a little deeper, stonier, and plummier while retaining plenty of elegance. Sébastien, Philippe’s son who now works alongside his father, recommends a duck breast, pork chop, or your favorite goat cheese for the Coutale, while he says something saucy would go perfectly with La Grave’s heartiness. My recommendation is to split a case between the two and enjoy these beautiful, rustic-in-the-best-sense country reds many more times over the next several months and perhaps even years.
Wines In The Collection
Château La Grave France | Southwest
La Grave is one of the rare Cahors to consist exclusively of the native Malbec. Without any Merlot to soften it, this Cahors is decidedly old-fashioned.
Clos La Coutale France | Southwest
Today, the 2023 is a robust, tightly coiled rouge balanced by notes of dark fruit, plum, earth, and eucalyptus.
France | Southwest
La Grave is one of the rare Cahors to consist exclusively of the native Malbec. Without any Merlot to soften it, this Cahors is decidedly old-fashioned.
France | Southwest
Today, the 2023 is a robust, tightly coiled rouge balanced by notes of dark fruit, plum, earth, and eucalyptus.
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