THE WINE OF KINGS

CAHORS AOC OR THE FAMOUS KAORSKoïE VINO!

Cahors[N 2] is a French red wine with a protected designation of origin from the vineyards of Southwest France. Its vineyard produces exclusively red wine with the Côt N grape variety (also called Malbec or Auxerrois). It is located west of the town of Cahors, straddling the Lot Valley in the department of the same name and the Causses du Quercy to the south of this valley.

This centuries-old vineyard enjoyed great renown from the Middle Ages until the phylloxera crisis in the last third of the 19th century. Its "black wine" was sold from England (black wine) to Russia (kaorskoie vino) where, called "Kaor" or "Kagor", it was used as mass wine[3],[4].

History
Antiquity
Vine cultivation was introduced by the Romans. They founded Divona Cadurcorum (City of the Cadurques). The wine trade would have naturally taken off with the transport of barrels on the Lot River to Burdigala. Navigation, sometimes dangerous, was a factor in development.

Middle Ages
The color photo shows a masonry wall overlooking the river. A built-up walkway slopes gently down to the water.
The port of Douelle, renovated for pleasure boating, still has the necessary elements for loading barrels onto barges: notably a gently sloping jetty.
In the Middle Ages, it was called "black wine." Clément Marot sang the praises of this "liqueur of fire." It is said that it was on the tables at the wedding of Eleanor of Aquitaine with Henry II, King of England, which opened the doors of London to him. In 1305, 800 barrels of Cahors (out of the 93,452 exported) left Bordeaux.[5]

Cahors wine could have become a formidable competitor for Bordeaux wines, but Bordeaux winegrowers obtained the Bordeaux privilege from King Henry III of England in 1241[6]: wines from the highlands could not enter the port of Bordeaux before Christmas[6]. At this date, navigation was more difficult and many ships had already left loaded. This privilege allowed Bordeaux winegrowers to sell their production. The King of France became overlord of Bordeaux after the Battle of Castillon. To gain the respect of his new subjects, he renewed the privilege. It was finally Louis XVI who settled the conflict more than five centuries later in 1773[6], by setting up a mediation between the winegrowers.

Modern era
Francis I appreciated it to the point of ordering it directly from Cahors and entrusting a winemaker from Cahors, Jean Rivals, known as the Prince, with the task of bringing grape varieties to plant in his vineyard at Fontainebleau (along with other grape varieties from Guyenne). Colbert did not hesitate to proclaim it superior to Bordeaux.

From the Renaissance onwards, the Little Ice Age hampered the ripening of Bordeaux grape varieties. Bordeaux wine became a "clairet" and some wine merchants recolored their wines with those from the highlands, including Cahors and Gaillac. Unfortunately, this lucrative practice caused the name of the wine-producing region to disappear. The reputation of Bordeaux wines improved at the expense of that of Cahors.

Tsar Peter the Great is said to have treated himself with kaorskoie vino, Cahors wine, and the Orthodox Church adopted it as sacramental wine. Its better conservation makes it a "cargo wine" and explains why, sometimes, in the navy, the officers drank Cahors while the sailors drank Bordeaux[7]. In the 18th century, nearly 10,000 barrels of wine passed through Bordeaux to then leave for northern Europe, the Antilles or the Americas.

Contemporary era
Cahors gradually fell into oblivion. Before the end of the 19th century, the phylloxera of 1876 destroyed the vineyard. After years of trial and error, insect specialists discovered the benefits of grafting. Unfortunately, the first rootstock used did not tolerate limestone. Cahors and Cognac were left helpless. A solution came with the use of hybrids. This shift towards the mass production of secondary quality wines nevertheless saved local viticulture from annihilation[8]. The winegrowers who chose this path were the ancestors of those who would rebuild a quality vineyard in the 20th century.

In 1947, winegrowers decided to revive the cultivation of the N slope. They created the Parnac cooperative cellar and found slope grafts from Bordeaux winegrowers[9].

The winter of 1956 was almost fatal. 99% of the vineyard was wiped out by the terrible frost of February[10]. The resurrection was slow and difficult. The replacement of the producing grape varieties (Jurançon N, Mérille N or Valdiguié N) took a generation. The vines were replanted not only with Côt N, but also with newly registered accessory grape varieties, Merlot N and Tannat N. In 1971, the vineyard covered 440 hectares when it was granted AOC status[2] thanks to President Georges Pompidou, who often spent his holidays at his estate in Cajarc[11]. Thirty years later, it had increased tenfold[9].

Since 2007, the UIVC (Interprofessional Union of Cahors Wines) has been developing an interprofessional association project with the Wines of Argentina (an organization responsible for promoting Argentinian wines internationally, which is behind the "World Malbec Day" established on April 17[12] and which has been held since 2011[13]) to develop the Malbec market in the rest of the world (including Canada, which in 2010 represented 50% of the sales volume, but also the United States and China, with 14.5% of the volume and 8.64% respectively) thanks to the concepts "Cahors Malbec" and "Cahors, The French Malbec" (the name of the grape variety on the label) and the creation of structures promoting wine tourism, Cahors Malbec Valley, Villa Cahors Malbec and the Cahors Malbec Lounge (tasting counter in the center of Cahors)[14].

Etymology
The name of the appellation comes from the city that produced these wines, Cahors, formerly Divina Cadurcorum, divine city of the Cadurques.

Geography
Situation
The vineyard is located on both sides of the Lot valley downstream from Cahors and on the part of the Causses du Quercy to the southwest of Cahors.

Geology
The Cadurcian vineyard is located on two distinct terroirs: the hillsides of the Lot valley and the Causses[15].

Three alluvial terraces of the Lot offer different terroirs. The first, richer in water, produces fruity wines; on the second, they have more roundness and on the third, the more advanced drainage produces the most structured wines, suitable for aging. In this area, in addition to the ancient alluvial deposits of the Lot, limestone scree from the causse also constitutes the draining subsoil.

The Causse vineyard is located above 300 meters above sea level, on the left bank; the soil there is less fertile than that of the valley. The soils are very free-draining; the roots must dig deep to find water. The vines are accustomed to extreme conditions and are more resistant to harsh climatic periods. On the plateau, apart from a few cereals, only vines grow. The plateaus are more airy, during the high heat, there is no bowl effect where the air becomes unbreathable. In summer the days are hot and the nights cooler, the grapes ripen a week later than in the valley. They produce less fleshy but very fine wines[16].

Climate of Cahors
The climate of Cadur is similar to that of Gourdon. It is the result of several influences:

Oceanic climate: it provides well-distributed rainfall, mild temperatures and plenty of sunshine for grape ripening. The distance from the Atlantic Ocean is noticeable, however, with lower temperatures and rainfall from October to April than in Bordeaux-Mérignac[17]. The beautiful dry late season promotes grape ripening[7].
Mountain climate: the influence of the Massif-Central is felt by lower winter temperatures than in Bordeaux[17]; the sunshine is not significantly different. This healthy climate in winter for the vines is moderate enough to preserve the vines. The winter of 1956, however, destroyed more than 95% of the vineyard, with February below -15°C.
Local climate: The Lot Valley has a huge influence on the valley's vineyards. The north-facing slopes facing south-east or south-west ensure the best ripeness. The influence of the river itself (spring frosts, morning humidity and winter fog[18]) is less noticeable, as the vines are planted on the most favourable plots. The valley's sinuousness slows down the winds, whose influence is limited to bringing or delaying rain.

Appellation area
The geographical area of the Cahors appellation defined by decree no. 2009-1262 of October 19, 2009, includes 45 communes, the list of which follows:

Albas, Anglars-Juillac, Arcambal, Bagat-en-Quercy, Bélaye, Le Boulvé, Cahors, Caillac, Cambayrac, Carnac-Rouffiac, Castelfranc, Catus, Cieurac, Crayssac, Douelle, Duravel, Fargues, Flaujac-Poujols, Floressas, Grézels, Labastide-du-Vert, Lacapelle-Cabanac, Lagardelle, Lamagdelaine, Luzech, Mauroux, Mercuès, Nuzéjouls, Parnac, Pescadoires, Pontcirq, Pradines, Prayssac, Puy-l'Évêque, Saint-Matré, Saint-Médard, Saint-Vincent-Rive-d'Olt, Saux, Sauzet, Sérignac, Soturac, Touzac, Trespoux-Rassiels, Villesèque and Vire-sur-Lot[2].

Grape varieties
Color photo of black grapes with a blue bloom
Ripe bunches of grapes from the N side.
The color photo shows a N-side plan loaded with grapes in a grassy vineyard.
N-side foot bringing its grapes to maturity.
The N side is the flagship grape variety of Cahors. Its local name is Auxerrois; the origin of this name, according to Guy Lavignac[19] could be a linguistic evolution of "haute-serre", a place name in the Causse du Quercy near Cahors. In Gironde, it bears the name of its distributor in the 18th century, a certain Mr. Malbec. A powerful, colorful, and generous grape variety, it requires good maturity and produces wines for aging; it sometimes lacks a little acidity. For a long time, other complementary grape varieties have been added to give it complexity and balance. In the past, these were Jurançon N, Mérille N, or Valdiguié N, replaced today by more fashionable grape varieties, Merlot N and Tannat N.

Decree No. 2009-1262 of October 19, 2009 specifies that the N side, classified as the main grape variety, must represent at least 70% of the grape variety[2]. Merlot N and Tannat N must not together exceed 30% of the grape variety.

Cultivation methods
The planting density is a minimum of 4,000 vines per hectare[2]. The spacing between rows must not exceed 2.5 meters and the spacing between vines in the row must be between 0.9 and 1.3 meters[2]. These rules are intended to promote the proper development of the vines. The high density creates competition between vines which promotes the concentration of the grapes: more color, aroma precursors, better maturity… The distance between vines must be as uniform as possible: each vine colonizes an area around its trunk. Rows that are too spaced apart create a gap between them that is not used by the vine. Vines that are too close together get in each other's way. The aim of the specifications is to define the limits so that the method of exploitation is as close as possible to a vineyard where each vine would have a square around it, while taking into account the constraints of modern mechanized viticulture.

Cadurcian vineyards.
The vine is pruned every year in winter (period of vegetative rest). The specifications of Cahors allow short pruning: goblet, fan or cordon de Royat. Long pruning in simple or double Guyot[2] allows 12 bunch-bearing buds, including 2 per spur and 8 per cane. Whatever the pruning method, the number of bunch-bearing buds after flowering must be limited to 12. For the Tannat grape variety, the number of bunch-bearing eyes is reduced to eight per vine plant after flowering. A winemaker can leave more for pruning. He can then remove the suckers by choosing the most beautiful branches and bring the load back to the level required by the decree before flowering.

Foliage height should exceed 0.6 times the row spacing. It is measured between 30 cm from the ground and the pruning height. A sufficient foliage surface area is a guarantee of good ripeness and concentration of grapes. The leaves, the seats of photosynthesis, are in fact the sugar factories of the plant.

The threshold for dead or missing vines is limited to 20%. Beyond this, the yield of the plot is deducted from the missing rate. For example, for a plot with 50% missing vines, the yield will be limited to half of 50 hl/ha[2], or 25 hl/ha.

Irrigation
It is prohibited from May 1st until harvest. However, the decree specifies that it may be exceptionally authorized[2]. In this case, it is reserved for the particular drought conditions of a vintage and can take place from June 15 to August 15, which corresponds to the stages of development of the vine "closure of the bunch" (formed berries which touch) and "veraison" (the grape changes color).

This authorization is requested by the organization for the defense and management of the appellation from the INAO, motivated by climatic data and the state of the vines which require the measurement. The director of the INAO can grant the exemption after consulting the INAO regional committee of Toulouse-Pyrénées. The winegrower who deems it necessary undertakes to declare the irrigated plots with the surface area and the grape variety to the inspection organization, and the irrigation equipment must not be buried[20].

Harvest
The start of the harvest cannot take place before the grape harvest ban, except in the case of a request for exemption. This can be granted by the INAO if the grapes are found to be ripe before the ban date[21].

The maximum amount of grapes harvested per plot must be 8,500 kilograms per hectare. If irrigation is permitted, the load is reduced to 6,500 kilograms per hectare.

The decree does not specify any harvesting method[2]. In fact, the majority of the areas are harvested using grape harvesting machines. Only a few vintages of old vines or a few estates that practice careful sorting of the harvest continue to harvest their grapes manually.

Yield
The yield is set at 50 hectoliters per hectare. The cut-off yield is 60 hectoliters per hectare. This cut-off yield may be requested by the appellation's defense and management union if collective sales have emptied wine stocks and buyer demand justifies it, or to replenish cellar stocks after a very poor previous harvest (hail, frost, etc.).

Maturity

Wine aging barrels.
To be considered ripe, the grape must have at least 193 grams of sugar per liter and the finished wine must have an alcoholic strength of at least 11.5% vol[2].

Winemaking and aging
Upon arrival of the harvest, destemming is mandatory[2]. The harvest is placed in vats for a long maceration of fifteen to thirty days. During this maceration, alcoholic fermentation takes place. The winemaker then carries out pumping over and rack and return operations in order to provide oxygen to the yeasts and to promote the extraction of polyphenols from the grape skin. (tannins and anthocyanins)

Once this maceration is complete, the wine is drained from the vat and the grape marc is pressed. The press wine is incorporated or not into the wine depending on the tasting verdict.

Malolactic fermentation then takes place in vats. It can be promoted by using commercial lactic acid bacteria or can be done naturally with bacteria from grapes. These are lactobacilli of the Oenococcus oeni type.
Once the fermentations are complete, the winemaker tastes all his vats and begins his blends. It is at this stage that he decides which wine will be worthy of aging in barrels or will remain in vats, from which vats the wines of each cuvée of the estate will come or which grape varieties will constitute each batch of wine. The legislator, however, requires that each batch of wine includes at least 70% of côt N[2].

Cahors is a wine for laying down: it is therefore aged for one to three years, in vats, barrels or bottles.

Terroirs and wines

Vineyard of the AOC Cahors
Cahors has always been a very dark wine since the Black Wine era. Its deep color ranges from purplish-black to dark purple (depending on the proportion of Côt to Merlot).

On the nose, young Cahors presents powerful and complex aromas of black fruits (blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry) and spices (licorice, cinnamon, anise, or cocoa). After two or three years, Cahors closes. It then has fleeting aromas and is not very interesting. After four or five years, it develops again with evolved aromas of undergrowth (mushroom, humus) or truffle.

On the palate, Cahors is a tannic wine. When young, it offers a tight and powerful structure, very astringent (the tannins have not yet melted) and a little acidic; the fruity and spicy aromas are the same as on the nose. As it matures, the tannins gradually blend to give a dense and soft structure that allows the wine to last a decade or more[7].

Tasting and gastronomy
Tasting Cahors with local cuisine reaches its apotheosis with an old Cahors and Quercy truffles.

According to Pierre Casamayor, a great tasting specialist, "red meats have an essential quality, their proteins soften the most virile tannins[22]. Cahors wines, structured and tannic, are therefore particularly recommended with red meats. Older Cahors wines can also accompany sauces, stews[23] and stews. (duck stew[24],[25], deer stew[26]…). The aging potential for a red Cahors is 3 to 10 years depending on the vintage and the quality of the cuvée.

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Source notes and references: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahors_(AOC)

Another interesting article on the history of this wine: https://avis-vin.lefigaro.fr/magazine-vin/o24474-l-embellie-du-vin-de-cahors-apres-une-histoire-cahotee-il-s-est-enfin-repositionne-sur-le-marche-mon