2019 Mas del Périé Haute Côt(e) de Fruit

Region: Cahors < France

Grapes: Malbec (aka Côt)

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Certified Biodynamic, average 25 year year old vines, limestone soil, 350m altitude, some carbonic, aged in concrete for 6 months; bottled unfined and unfiltered with no added SO2; zero-zero; 12.5% ABV

Winemaker: Fabien Jouves

NEW VINTAGE!  Carbo Malbec from our favorite natty Cahors maker, Fabien Jouves, who first made a name for himself in the wine world with his phenomenal and revolutionary, at the time, AOC Cahors wines. In Cahors, just 3 hours from rival Bordeaux, Malbec (the "black grape") has always, and still does, reign king.  Malbec used to be the prized grape in Bordeaux blends as well,  but Bordeaux completely ditched Malbec after a devastating 1956 frost, which wiped out most growers and around 95% of the vines, while Cahors stayed loyal.  Resurrection of the region -- and the reputation of Malbec, has been slow, and neither have truly regained their cult status.

So Fabien's lineup of terroir- and vineyard-specific Malbec, as well as his youth and brazen personality, all make for good debate. At just over 30 years old now, Fabien took over his parent’s estate in 2008 and boldly started bottling his Cahors in – gasp! – a Burgundy bottle. While not regulated by the AOC, every appellation in South West France goes by the unspoken rule of bottling in a Bordeaux bottle to mimic their neighbors to the north. Why Burgundy? Because Fabien saw their philosophy as much more aligned with his – a focus on vineyard, terroir, delicate and personal winemaking – as something he wanted to emulate. Now, he has gone even further astray from the AOC and created an entire lineup of vins de soif, the easier drinking, fun labeled version of his AOC wines. While he was always working naturally, these put him on the natty map, and now he is a fixture at natural wine fairs around the world.

We've big fans of many of Fabien's wines, like this and this, which we can't keep in stock.  So we were excited to taste the new addition to his lineup, a bright, lifted Malbec (aka Côt) that is a much more restrained expression of this intense grape than the familiar Argentine version.  Dark, inky blackberries and sweet spices highlighted by zippy acidity, minerality and refreshingly low alcohol.    Excellent with anything grilled. 

SERVE SLIGHTLY CHILLED.