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2021 Cahors
Château La Grave

I could describe Philippe Bernède’s organically grown, 100% Malbec Cahors as a quintessential house red or an eager crowd-pleaser, but I wouldn’t want to oversimplify its appeal. Vintage after vintage, this Cahors delivers glassfuls of voluminous black fruit and bright aromatics with a pleasantly rugged core. The wine is beautifully made and deliciously balanced. It’s no surprise customers return to it with enthusiasm, not only for its provincial charm but also because (lucky for us) it resides in the value section, where it thoroughly overachieves. Sans reproche!, as the French might say—it’s simply beyond reproach.
—Jane Augustine
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Malbec |
Appellation: | Cahors |
Country: | France |
Region: | Southwest |
Producer: | Château La Grave |
Winemaker: | Philippe Bernède |
Vineyard: | Planted in 1990, 1995, 15 ha |
Soil: | Red Clay |
Aging: | Aged in 100hl wood tanks for one year before bottling |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2021 Cahors
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October Club Gourmand ~ If nearby Bordeaux is the polished and urbane one in the family, Cahors is the sneakily sophisticated but humbler country cousin, loaded with personality you’ll enjoy getting to know.

2020 Irouléguy Rouge “Cuvée Haitza”
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A black wine made from steep inclines planted to Tannat and some Cabernet Sauvignon, it demands patience while its dense, mouth-coating tannins slowly release their clutching grip.

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A red perennially punches way above its weight, both in the immediate pleasure it delivers and the way it evolves in the bottle over time.

2021 Irouléguy Rouge
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Fromage: Ossau-Iraty, P’tit Basque, Tomme Brûlée, Brique Agour, Bleu des Basques, Gabietou

2021 Irouléguy Blanc “Hegoxuri”
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Any lover of whites from Chablis or the Loire should try this white made of Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng, and Petit Courbu.

About The Producer
Château La Grave
About The Region
Southwest
Tucked away beneath Bordeaux and buffeted by the Pyrenees to the south, this expansive region of France, commonly known as the Southwest, is home to a diverse number of viticulture and gastronomic traditions as well as cultures. Though Cahors might be the most well known (and easiest to pronounce) appellation from the Southwest, the importance and influence of French Basque culture cannot be underestimated. Irouléguy, the primary appellation of the Basque region of France produces full-bodied, hearty red wines, produced from Tannat grape (known for its tannic qualities). Dry whites from Irouléguy are also produced from Petit and Gros Manseng. Northeast of Irouléguy is the sweet wine-producing appellation of Jurançon. These moelleux wines made from Petit and Gros Manseng have a storied history in France, from being the first wine region to have a vineyard classification, which dates back to the 154th century, to being preferred wine of royalty dating back to the 16th century as well as the French poet Colette.
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Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171