Matching Malbec (Cahors) and truffles. It is the season!

A great wine video about Cahors & Malbec & truffles. It speaks of the renaissance of Cahors. An up and coming appellation.


http://www.graperadio.com/archives/2010/12/26/the-scent-of-black/


Thanks to Robert McIntosh @thirstforwines for providing this video. And as we are in the truffle season it has prompted us to post a little about our Malbecs.


We have four malbecs currently available (updated 17/8/2011). But beware: wine 3 and 4 (below) are available in very limited quantities.

1. Zette Rouge 
Sleek and modern Malbec $14.99 an absolute bargain.



Named in the November 2010 edition of Wine Enthusiast Magazine Worlds top 100 best buys of 2010!!!  “In a modern, smooth style, with plush fruit and dusty tannins, this is a ripe, open wine, an easy expression of Malbec, New World in its fruitiness.” 

Winsor Dobbin in Wine Hunter wrote about the

Zette Rouge. "Zette is the second label of Domaine de

Lagrezette, one of the leading producers in Cahors, southwest

France, where malbec is king. This is an attractive and

mature malbec and a considerable bargain. It's a plush, ripe

red made in a New World style and fermented in stainless

steel tanks. The forward dark fruit is matched by some

supple tannins, hints of spice and softness on the palate.

This medium-bodied wine is from a particularly good vintage

and is drinking very well, particularly when paired with red

meat dishes. Great buying at the online price from an

importer with an impressive range of regional French wines"

From the team at Domaine de Lagrézette a dynamic modern brand extension of the Lagrézette line. Wine has been made in the Cahors region since the time of the Romans. So this wine benefits from centuries of experience but via modern winemaking methods takes malbec to new realms!
Made from 100% Malbec. Ripe, opulent, well balanced, supple, and powerful.
The 2005 vintage was an exceptional one throughout Bordeaux and the south-west of France.
Grown from the legendary wines of Lagrézette on a terroir of clay and limestone on vines with an average age of 15 years. Fermented in stainless steel tanks. Sleek and modern.
This wine is meant to match food and goes perfectly with meats and cheeses.
Check out the zette website. Modern, fun, French and chic. www.whereiszette.com
This is definitely a wine for enjoying not intellectualising!

2. Domaine Lagrezette 2005
Pure expression of Malbec from a top terroir and classy producer in Cahors This is a multi-ward winning wine. $35.99



From the exceptional vintage of 2005, this is textbook Cahors
Malbec from Domaine de Lagrézette. This wine has won many awards and accolades. Best with food such as grilled meats, if ever there was an excuse needed to fire up the barbie-this wine is it!
Region/Terroir: Chateau Lagrezette is produced from grapes grown in the best locations in Cahors. The vineyards are perched above the Lot river. The soil is a mixture of limestone and clay.
Grapes: Malbec 87%, Merlot 12%, Tannat 1%
Wine making: Chateau Lagrezette is produced using the following techniques:

• Harvest: hand harvested & sorted
• Average age of vines: 20 – 25 years
• Consulting Enologist: Michel Rolland
• Vinification: 4 day cold maceration at 12 degrees C, fermentation at 30 degrees C, prolonged maceration at 28degrees C, daily pump-overs, malolactic fermentation in oak barrels and stainless steel tanks
• Ageing: 18 months in new & one-year-old French barrels

Our Tasting Notes :
From the exceptional vintage of 2005, this is textbook Cahors Malbec. Inky purple colour. On the nose blackcurrent, truffles, violets. On the palate lovely blackcurrent and plum fruit, spice and minerals.
Beautifully balanced, mid-weight, with fine chalky tannins, great structure and balance, long and satisfying.
Could be cellared for several years but enjoy now with red meats, white meats, cheese and indeed a range of dishes.
Some accolades:
Chateau Lagrézette 2005, Rated 90 points “An intensely concentrated wine with tannins that float in an inky sea of dense berry fruit. The wine is smooth, the edges softened by wood, but the fruit tannins pour out of the glass.”WINE ENTHUSIAST MAGAZINE, March 2010


Chateau Lagrézette 2005: World Wine Award Decanter Magazine
Gold medal Concours des Grand Vins de France 2007
Gold Medal Concours de la Compagnie des Courtiers Jurés (Paris) 2009
Citation in Guide Hachette des Vins (2008 edition)


3. Domaine Lagrezette 2003


Drinking beautifully. Stocks almost exhausted!



Again a classic Cahors Malbec from a good vintage with some developed characteristics starting to emerge.
Dark purple/black colour. On the nose plums, spice, raspberries and
blackcurrents. On the palate lovely rich complex fruit.
Region/Terroir: Chateau Lagrezette is produced from grapes grown in the best locations in Cahors. The vineyards are perched above the Lot river. The soil is a mixture of limestone and clay.
Grapes: Malbec 87%, Merlot 12%, Tannat 1%
Wine making: Chateau Lagrezette is produced using the following techniques:

• Harvest: hand harvested & sorted
• Average age of vines: 20 – 25 years
• Consulting Enologist: Michel Rolland
• Vinification: 4 day cold maceration at 12 degrees C, fermentation at 30 degrees C, prolonged maceration at 28 degrees C, daily pump-overs, malolactic fermentation in oak barrels and stainless steel tanks
• Ageing: 18 months in new & one-year-old French barrels

Our Tasting Notes: Dark purple/black colour. On the nose plums, spice, raspberries and blackcurrents. On the palate lovely rich complex fruit some toffee notes, mid weight, softened tannins. Great balance and length. A great food wine to enjoy with a varieties of meat dishes or cheeses.
What a shame we could only obtain a small amount of the stock
from Domaine Lagrezette. Get in quick!
What others thought of it….
2 stars Guide Hachette 2006
Gold medal. International Wine Challenge Blaye-Bourg 2005
Gold Medal Concours Des Grands Vins de France 2006
Gold Medal Concours des vins du Sud-Ouest 2007
Recommendation Decanter World Wine Awards 2006

4. Chateau Lagrezette Dame Honneur 2003, 750 ml


This cuvée is produced from the oldest vines of the estate of Chateau Lagrezette, situated on the Causse or the third terrace of the Lot Valley. This is the highest of the terraces, with well drained soils causing the roots of the vines to grow to depth searching for moisture, and at night in summer, cool temperatures allowing the grapes to ripen slowly-in all producing grapes of finesse. Yields are kept between 25 and 30 hl/ha and the total annual production is approximately 16 000 bottles.
A blend of 91% Malbec and 9% Merlot - the two grapes varieties combining to give a wine that is both powerful and round -, the Cuvée Dame Honneur will age gracefully over some twenty-five years.

Terroir: Third terrace of Cahors, clay and limestone
Grapes: 91 % Malbec, 9 % Merlot.
Average age of vines : 35 years.
Harvest : hand harvested, sorted out by hand.

Consulting oenologist : Michel Rolland.
Vinification method : a four-day cold maceration, followed by fermentation at 30°C and prolonged maceration at 28°C. Daily pumping-overs. Malolactic fermentation occurs in new oak barrels.
Fermentation vessels : oak (Seguin Moreau).
Ageing  : 24 months in new oak barrels (Saury).
Alcohol: 14.5%
Awards: Commended in Decanter World Wine Awards 2008


Available  in original wooden boxes for orders of 6 bottles or more.
It is a pleasure to make this premium Cahors available in Australia.

To order these wines go to our online shop or call 0260206016

3 independent reviews of our wines this week

Hot on the heels of The review of Chateau Jolys Jurancon Sec 2009 in the Sunday Herald Sun has come a review in Wine Hunter of Zette Rouge  and in The Weekly Review Magazine, a review of the Chateau Lagrezette Cru d’Exception Malbec 2005.

For a business open which has been selling wine on the market for just 3 months, we are very pleased with these reviews. We hope that out philosophy of bringing value for money wines to Australia from the Bordeaux region and the South-West of France has hit the mark and there is a place in the Australian marketplace for these wines.

Here are the three reviews...

The review of the  Chateau Jolys Jurancon Sec 2009 was written by Wendy Hargreaves, Food and Wine Writer for the Herald Sun. She named the wine Drink Of the Week, saying "Fans of sauvignon blanc looking for something new to try will love this well-priced French drop.   Like the ubiquitous Kiwi white, the Chateau Jolys Jurancon Sec ($17.99) is dangerously easy to drink—crisp and dry, but not overly so,with a more elegant fruity flavour than explode-in-your-mouth sauv-blancs. This wine, from Bordeaux in the south of France, would be a perfect match for seafood and shellfish, but also goes down a treat with pre-dinner dips and nibbles."


Winsor Robbins in Wine Hunter wrote about the Zette Rouge. "Zette is the second label of Domaine de Lagrezette, one of the leading producers in Cahors, south-west France, where malbec is king. This is an attractive and mature malbec and a considerable bargain. It's a plush, ripe red made in a New World style and fermented in stainless steel tanks. The forward dark fruit is matched by some supple tannins, hints of spice and softness on the palate. This medium-bodied wine is from a particularly good vintage and is drinking very well, particularly when paired with red meat dishes. Great buying at the online price from an importer with an impressive range of regional French wines" . Of course he might have mentioned that this wine was featured in Wine Enthusiast Magazine Worlds top 100 best buys of 2010!  “In a modern, smooth style, with plush fruit and dusty tannins, this is a ripe, open wine, an easy expression of Malbec, New World in its fruitiness.” A great bargain at $14.99.

And finally Ben Thomas in the Weekly Review wrote about  Chateau Lagrezette Cru d’Exception Malbec 2005. "($35.99; 14%; 4/5) The wines of Cahors have never been more glamourous since Alain Perrin, the head of fashion house Cartier, bought out this winery. The wine is made by the fashionable, and somewhat ubiquitous, winemaker Michel Rolland. This is full of appealing savoury, deep fruit flavours and aromas of cherry, blackberry, spice, liquorice and leather. Grippy, savoury tannins have softened nicely in the five or so years since it was bottled and it is drinking very nicely now. Food match \ Scotch fillet"

A great week for our new buisness to receive these independent reviews. Not much time to rest but it is Friday night. Time for a glass of something nice from the South-West!

Drink of the week

The team at DiscoverVin are thrilled with our first newspaper review which confirms what we already know! We have some great value for money wines. 


This review of the  Chateau Jolys Jurancon sec 2009 was written by Wendy Hargreaves, Food and Wine Writer for the Herald Sun. She named the wine Drink Of the Week, saying "Fans of sauvignon blanc looking for something new to try will love this well-priced French drop.   Like the ubiquitous Kiwi white, the Chateau Jolys Jurancon Sec ($17.99) is dangerously easy to drink—crisp and dry, but not overly so,with a more elegant fruity flavour than explode-in-your-mouth sauv-blancs. This wine, from Bordeaux in the south of France, would be a perfect match for seafood and shellfish, but also goes down a treat with pre-dinner dips and nibbles."


Some readers will realise that this wine is from near Boredeaux in the region of Jurançon, but well said Ms Hargreaves!




Get in quick http://www.discovervin.com.au/p.php?q=%2Fshop%2Fitem%2Faoc-juranon-sec-blanc

Three tasting opportunities for our unique wines

3 upcoming opportunities to taste wines from DiscoverVin


1. French Wine tasting 
Casa de Vinos, Port Melbourne-Thursday 12th May 2011
see our earlier blog http://discovervin.blogspot.com/2011/04/wine-tasting-coming-up-next-month-in.html


2. Alliance Française Albury-Wodonga French Film Festival 
Regent Cinemas Albury- Friday 27th May 
Opening session ticket includes nibbles and wine from DiscoverVin


Tickets limited so call Regent Cinemas for bookings
Our out of town friends might use this as an excuse for a weekend in our beautiful region. Why not check out a few wineries our maybe a meal and a glass of DiscoverVin wine at Source Dining or GiGi's of Beechworth?


3. For our friends in Brisbane
Monday 30th May 1500-1900
Story Bridge Hotel, Main Street, Kangaroo Point

Madiran, Jurançon, Cahors, Bergerac, Monbazillac...

...iconic appellations less often seen in Australia compared to other French regions. 

Broaden your knowledge about these up and coming regions that use grape varieties such as manseng, malbec, tannat and the classic Bordeaux grape varieties. Taste some great value wines from the best producers in each region from the best vintages. 

Sommeliers Australia members: $25
Non-members: $50 
To book: info@discovervin.com.au or 02 6020 6016.

Autumn dinner party inspiration - Jurançon Sec and mushroom soup - delightful match

We recently posted 2 blogs about superb wine and food matches that we enjoyed over Easter - seafood paella and Ch La Rayre Begerac Rosé 2009 and coq au vin with sauce Madiran matched with Domaine du Crampilh Vieilles Vignes MAdiran 2006 . The trilogy in this unintented seres was last nights dinner. 

Lady Helen picked some fresh field mushrooms from our paddocks, some herbs from the herb garden, some lemons  and conjured up a delicious soup using a recipe published in Stephanie Alexander's food bible the Cooks Companion which many of you no doubt have on a shelf in your kitchen (and if you dont maybe its time to run and get one?!) The recipe is called Tom's Mushroom Soup. Helen used a lot less cream than that stated and it was still rich and delicious. 

Cream of something soup can be a challenging wine match. Some use a dry white and sherry can be a great match. The recipe included 3/4 cup white wine so we opened a Ch Jolys Jurançon Sec 2009 and at this great price one can use it anytime including in a soup! From the excellent 2009 vintage and from one of the most beautiful and under rated regions in France. So we served some with the soup and it was superb!

A delightful, complex, fruity but dry wine with typical manseng characterstics. Bright yellow colour with greenish tints. The nose is elegant and intense, with both floral and fruity aromas: honeysuckle, jasmine, grapefruit, citrus and fresh grape. On the palate, the wine is fresh, fruity and rich at the same time. The finish is long and fleshy.The fruit characteristics are typical of the region/manseng variety with tropical fruit and pineapple characteristics, and some citrus/acid backbone. The soup recipe includes lemon juice and we think this one element tieing the two together. In any case it was a great match. Hopefully might inspire some of you for a quick and easy meal or a first course at an autumn dinner party! 

We felt like we were back in Jurançon - one of the most beautiful regions in France. Château Jolys, the largest estate in the Jurançon AOC with its 36 hectares, nestles on the superb hills of Chapelle de Rousse village. Rolling green hills, relatively unpopulated and stunning views to the nearby snow-capped Pyrenees Mountains. Could this be the next big thing after New Zealand sauvignon Blanc? Discover for yourself!  DiscoverVin™ is confident that these wines will surprise and delight you. Above all the wines that we have talked about in this blog that are well made and incredibly good value wines.