Cahors Le Pur Fruit du Causse 2023 Combel-La-Serre | Southwest

Pur Fruit du Causse de Combel la Serre has a name that says it all. This new-generation Cahors was born of a simple, almost radical idea: let Malbec (or Côt, as it's known in the South-West) speak for itself, without any make-up. No wood, no over-extraction, no over-ripeness. Just the fruit, freshness and brilliance of a grape rooted in the clay-limestone soils of the Causse lotois. The grapes come from various plots in the hills around Cahors, at an average altitude of 350 meters, where the vines can breathe, even in summer. The grapes are harvested by hand, the winemaking is gentle, and the wine is aged exclusively in concrete vats to preserve the purity of the juice.

Philippe Mischler, sommelier at Mundovin : Pur Fruit du Causse is a real wine for friends... but intelligent. It has the juicy suppleness you'd expect from a gourmet red, but with the underlying tension that brings it to life. Its "back to basics" aspect delivers a Malbec without heaviness or artifice. It's one of those South-Western wines that reconnect Cahors to its terroir and to a touching form of sincerity, and puts Combel la Serre on the map of the artisans of the South-Western revival.

On the nose, the wine explodes with crunchy black fruit: blackberry, blackcurrant, fresh cherry. A hint of violet, Côt's signature, subtly intrudes. Light notes of pepper and clove lift the ensemble without weighing it down.

The palate is fluid and dynamic, marked by a fine acidity that stretches the fruit. The grain of tannin is fine, very well integrated. The whole evokes a basket of juicy black fruit, with a fresh, digestible finish. This wine assumes its frankness and drinkability with panache, without ever falling into the easy way out.