Georges Vigouroux Les Comtes Cahors Malbec

Expert Opinion

In the press...

Though Cahors in southwest France is the home of the malbec grape, in recent years the Argentinians have done rather better without it.  But here the Old World fights back with a bold, rich, dense red with blackberry fruit and minerally notes.  Brilliant.

Most Tesco shoppers would whizz their trolleys straight past this traditional and traditionally labelled "black wine" from southwest France.  Not long ago that would have been wise, as rustic, historic cahors was a brute of a malbec.  The new face of cahors reveals a more perfumed and fruit-filled wine, just like this big, fat, spicy, prune-stashed 2008 that will go with heavy festive meals, from suckling pig to spiced beef.

Background

History

Based in Cahors in the South West of France this winery was created in 1887 by Germain Vigouroux. His son Gabriel succeeded him in 1963 and then the third generation Georges Vigouroux took over the company. Bertrand Gabriel joined the company in 1989 and became CEO in 2000 ; he developed the winery, headquarters, the vineyard management system and increased the number of Estates and vineyards owned by the group. The company developed from a wine brokering business to selling bottled wines.

Winemaking details

Bertrand Gabriel Vigouroux

Regional info

Cahors is one of the oldest wine regions in Europe where vines have been planted since Roman times. This is also the birthplace of the Malbec grape variety where it has been planted since 50BC. Cahors wines must have a minimum of 70% Malbec in the blend. The vineyards of Cahors were reinvented in the early 1970’s when a few forward thinking producers planted Malbec, Tannat and Merlot, Georges Vigouroux was at the forefront of this rebirth of the Cahors wine region.