Cahors Cuvée Château 2021 Combel-La-Serre | Southwest

Cuvée Château de Combel la Serre embodies the soul of the wine estate. It was the first cuvée created by Julien Ilbert when he took over the reins of the family wine estate in the South-West of France, in Cahors. The grapes come from the historic plots located around the old château, on the high limestone plateaus overlooking the Lot valleys. At an altitude of 320 meters, the vines are rooted in clay-limestone soil with a predominance of red clay, which forces the Malbec (or Côt) to dig deep into the soil. This cuvée is the perfect balance between fruity Cahors, such as Pur Fruit des Causses, and full-bodied Cahors.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin : The Cuvée Château is the beating heart of the Combel la Serre wine estate. It has that extra soul rarely found in more affordable cuvées. It has flesh, freshness and, above all, that mineral tension that you don't necessarily expect in a Cahors. Freed from excessive structure, this wine speaks with accuracy and depth, without emphasis.

The nose opens with a bouquet typical of Malbec, displaying frank aromas of black cherry, ripe plum and blueberry. The whole gains in complexity and freshness with aeration, with more subtle notes of agastache, licorice and graphite, heralding a well-established wine.

On the palate, the attack is frank and juicy, with good tension right from the start. The tight, ripe tannins melt into the acid framework with great sapidity. The fruit remains in the center, clean, without exuberance, and continues on a chalky, almost saline note, which lengthens the finish with elegance. A precise, vibrant Cahors, much more subtle than it seems.