2022 Domaine la Calmette 'Serpent à Plumes' VDF Rouge, South West, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

50% Malbec and 50% Merlot from vines between 20 and 40+ years of age. The vineyards are on west-facing, 300-330m altitude sites with soils of Kimmeridgian limestone and marl bedrock- fairly deep clay-limestone. Some whole cluster inclusion and a percentage of the fruit pressed immediately. 6-15 day ambient yeast fermentation with gentle infusion. Aged about 12 months on the lees in concrete and stainless steel tanks. No fining, no filtration. Minimal SO2 adjustment at bottling.  

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

This is not your dad's Cahors! There are two sides to the appellation: the alluvial valley of the Lot river, and the plateaux, Causses as they are called locally. The latter is where you will find Cahors’ most captivating wines. There, the bedrock is Kimmeridgian with a top soil of clay, and there is another type of terroir, siderolithic, which is very iron-rich. Maya and Nicolas at Calmette are not alone in making great wine on the Causses. There is a gang —Fabien Jouves comes to mind immediately. In other words, Cahors from the Causses is becoming a thing and this is what this gang is showing us: With top-notch viticulture, much lighter extraction, and lower to no sulfur, the hard tannins that made this appellation so infamous are gone. A fog has lifted; behind it, is an entirely different edge, this one magnificent: the minerality, acidity, and majestically punk rock energy of Kimmeridgian bedrock. Of course, Kimmeridgian is most famous for being the bedrock of Chablis. These new Cahors, especially Maya’s and Nicolas’, are softly and beautifully infused reds with the spine of powerfully mineral white wines. They are contemporary, energetic, saline, stony, vibrant. They are VERY exciting. Then, on the siderolithic terroirs, the iron-rich clay, with its signature umami and blood, takes it to a whole other level of complexity. These are Grands Vins.