24 May 2011

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



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