Vintage 2009 — Paroles de vignerons - Vinparleur

Tasting of Château du Cèdre Cahors GC 2009

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel, Château du Cèdre

If the Gault & Millau described the GC 2008 as being a “magic” wine, 2009 should be considered as being “cosmic”. Let’s only spend few words on its colour, that’s as black as a Malbec from Cahors should be and go on to have a look at the bouquet…

Already rich and complex, full of red and black fruits, with violet and mint again, but also cedar wood, white pepper and cocoa beans. Both fresh and mellow, with silky tannins that overlay the entire palate, you will find the characteristic minerality of the GC, pairing with endless length. It will be the guest of honour at your table for many years to come.

Wine details

Area of production : AOP Cahors
Soil and climate : The vines of Château du Cèdre root in two different types of soil: The terroirs, composed of stony clay and limestone, give straight wines with fine tannins, while more powerful and dense wines come from soils composed of clay, sand and a large quantity of pebbles.
Grape varieties : 100% Malbec
Type of winemaking : Grapes are hand picked and sorted. Harvest is fully destemmed. 40 days of fermentation and maceration in 500-litre oak vats, with regular punching down of the skin cap at the beginning of fermentation for extraction of colour and tannins.
Type of ageing: Malolactic fermentation is followed by 24 months of ripening in the same oak vats. Bottled without filtering.
Tasting of Château du Cèdre 2009 - Malbec from Cahors

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

This is Malbec-territory: Dark and opaque, its intense bouquet is full of black fruit, smoke, chocolate and spices.
Dense and soft, wild but homey, you will love to crunch the crispy tannins, that tickle your palate, before taking a rest at the bottom of the glass, amongst aromas of cinnamon, vanilla and fresh earth.

Roasted duck is still one of my favorites to accompany young Malbec wines from Cahors. That’s probably what I will have for Malbec Day on April 17^th.
Black pudding, Gigondas and the gateway to paradise - Santa Roc from Yves Gras and Rémy Pedreno

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

In France we sometimes speak of a day “with” or a day “without” depending on whether it has gone well or rather badly ...
On my way back home after a busy week full of work, I stop by my favourite multinational butcher, with quite a precise taste on mind. It only takes a couple of minutes to get what I want. A neat piece of black pudding, a couple of apples, a kilo of rice from the Camargue and sweet onions from the Cevennes under my arm, I get back on my bike – oh sorry, that picture sounds too perfect – so honestly, I get back into my car and drive on.

At home, all my victuals are peeled and cut into separate pots and pans and on the stove soon - the onions seasoned with a little curry - where they roast slowly ahead, bake and melt. I descend into my wine cellar, which actually is just a garage with no cars ...

I am looking for a bottle from 2009, more precisely, a Gigondas, of Yves Gras. Bottled some five months ago, I have not had time to taste the wine since it has left its vat. After several minutes of searching in different boxes and cases, I finally find what I am looking for: Santa Roc 2009 – a great vintage in southern France – a wine that results from the collaboration between Yves Gras of Santa Duc and Rémy Pedreno of Roc d’Anglade.

As soon as the cork is out, a quick sip seems unavoidable in order to get a first impression: It certainly required four winemakers hands to get so much of crispy acidity in a Grenache-dominated, full-bodied Rhone wine in 2009 ! The first aromas look rather fruity and sweet - cherry, red currants - but spices are not far away and fully express in the mouth. Supported by crunchy tannins, they fill the palate in a pleasant way with pepper, cacao and cinnamon, or even with a touch of fennel and some grounded coriander seeds ... Young and jaunty, this wine tolerates to be decanted, without really needing it.

And when a short time later the mellowness of the fried black pudding joins in, as well as the crunchiness of the rice, the fruitiness of the apples and sweet spiciness of the curry-onions, my stomach and my taste buds feel pretty sure about the fact that today rather is a day “with” than “without”...
Rasteau + 2009 + Santa Duc = powerful, complex and juicy wine

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

2009 is a real Grenache year : Summer, sunshine and heat (but no drought !) – under those circumstances this noble grape variety develops ripe fruit, stunning acidity and seductive power in the southern Rhone valley.

Let’s take the example of our Santa Duc “Les Blovac” from Rasteau, a prestigious terroir that was raised to the status of a Rhone Cru in 2010.

Mediterranean flavours instantly emanate from the uncorked bottle : Rosemary, laurel, green pepper, sour cherries, raspberries and fresh blackberry marmalade… it’s all in the glass ! Full-bodied and sensual, with some crispy tannins giving character and length.

Drink now or keep it in your cellar for another 8 or 10 yeras.