Guía de la región vitivinícola de Cahors

Small Town in Southwestern France

The AOC Cahors is located in the Lot department and covers 40.50 square kilometers of vineyards between Cahors and Soturac, Southwestern France. Dubbed the “black wine”, Cahors is a red wine with a worldwide reputation, with a dress so dark that it looks black. And as the saying goes: “If you see your fingers through the wine dress, then it’s not Cahors.”

Soil Best for Vine Cultivation

The vines are mainly planted on flat surfaces at the top of the limestone plateaux bordering the meandering Lot Valley on both banks. The vineyards also overflow the steep and better-exposed slopes of the valley, formed by the river’s ancient alluvial terraces composed of various pebbles, quartz, gravel, and sand. The Cadurcian climate comes from an oceanic and Mediterranean blend. Precipitation is well distributed throughout the year, and the temperatures are mild. Still, the soil enjoys regular and remarkable sunshine during hot summers very favorable to the grapes’ maturity and the power developed by the Cahors.

Climate with Multiple Influences

The production of nearly 20,000,000 liters of wine each year, exclusively in red wine, is based around auxerrois (or cot, or malbec), the typical grape variety of the Cahors vineyard. It is accompanied by merlot and Tannat in the blends. Cahors wines have the body, are structured and well structured. They remain soft with well-coated tannins. If the aromas offered by Cahors are very varied depending on whether they come from terraces or trays, the red fruit notes are the most common: cherry, raspberry, currants, blackcurrant.

Tighter and Leaner Wines

The texture is dense, rich, and velvety, the mouth alternating between nuances of vanilla and licorice, which bring to these powerful wines a lovely balance. The great wines of Cahors are elegant wines that have size, volume, and the right length.

The AOC Cahors indirectly suffers from the competition of neighboring Bordeaux, the winemakers too often trying to imitate the big Bordeaux, forgetting the singularity yet so rich Cahors, and their personality from the auxerrois and local methods.

Explore Wineries in Cahors

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A part of the important features of Cahors appellation for red wines are as follows:

• Soil: Limestone.
• Taste: Rich and velvety.
• Wine color: Red (so dark).
• Aromas: red fruit notes are the most common: cherry, raspberry, currants, blackcurrant.
• Aging potential: 2 – 20 years.
• Serving temperature: 14 to 16° C

Discover Wine Tastings and Tours in Cahors

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