Vintage 2013 — Paroles de vignerons - Vinparleur

A good glass of… Château du Cèdre #Cahors 2013

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

In many French wine-growing regions grape harvest was rather small in 2013. For this reason, the vintage remained almost unnoticed by the press. This is a pity, because it contains some jewels, which can be enjoyed already, or can still be stored for a few years in the cellar. I therefore recently opened a bottle from this vintage of the first cuvée of the Verhaeghe brothers from Cahors. Made from 90% Malbec and 10% Merlot and Tannat, the wine has been considered as a great classic from Cahors for years.

The 2013 shows the typical Cahors scent of black berries, sour cherries and cinnamon, along with some chocolate and smoke. On the palate, freshness and fresh fruit, marked by black currants, mixed with spices and cedar. The tannins are dense and fine, the finish is long and fresh, with slight, pleasant bitterness. A harmonious and characteristic wine. I love this wine because of its pleasant freshness and typical and rich aroma. Enjoy it now or store it for up to five years in the cellar.

FOOD MATCHES FOR HERBIVORES: As a real terroir wine, it loves mushrooms and roots. Make a tasty vegetable pan of carrots, celery and porcino mushrooms, seasoned with black pepper and marjoram, accompanied by basmati rice and a few walnuts.

FOOD MATCHES FOR CARNIVORES: Lamb chop with honey and thyme, grilled sausage, marinated BBQ pork ...
Delicacy, smoothness and a hint of ginger on the final... Les Aspres 2013 from Pierre Cros #Syrah

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Even in a delicate vintage like 2013, the top cuvee of the winery shines bright like a star. Built in the same style as the previous vintage, it offers a rich bouquet of spices, ripe fruit and vanilla. On the palate, flavours of black currant and blackberries underline the creamy mouth feel. It has elegant tannins and a hint of ginger on the final.

Pierre Cros settled on 25 ha of vineyards and as much olives, almond trees and truffle oaks. He is a great “winzer-artist”, a real benchmark in the Minervois, if you look look up how often we wrote about him and his wines in this guide during the last 10 years. He considers himself as a “peasant” and tells us that he learned to respect his clients from his father and grand-father,who both of them had been bakers in Badens. Besides classic grape varieties of the AOC, Pierre Cros keeps ancient, almost forgotten and even “non-beloved” (mal aimé) grape varieties (as for example the Aramon) and introduced new varieties from abroad.

Guide Hachette 2017
Château du Cèdre - one of the leading producers in #Cahors

Permalink, by Château du Cèdre

Pascal and Jean-Marc Verhaeghe started organic farming in the early 1990s. They were certified as organically farming wine estate in 2012. Originally devoted to the lavender culture, the winery now cultivates 27 hectares of vines and is considered as being one of leading producers in Cahors.

LE CÈDRE MALBEC 2013
As usual, this top presentation wine of the domain has been matured patiently in large barrels and oak tanks for two years. The vintage 2013 is in the footsteps of its predecessors: an extremely balanced, pure Malbec, with an expressive, elegant bouquet (red and black fruit, spices, menthol and subtle oak flavours), powerful but fine taste and long finish.

Guide Hachette 2017
The Pope still lives near Avignon - Habemus Papam 2013 Domaine Santa Duc

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

How far seems the times when Rhône wines rolled over your tongue with the weight of a tractor. Though powerful and full-bodied wines don’t bother me at all, I just can resist to elegance and finesse in wine. And that despite of all the great memories of the 90s, when we drank oversized bodybuilder wines while listening as loud as possible to the Cranberries, Daft Punk or Nirvana.

But back to the present decade in which all wines seem to be searching for delicacy and minerality like never before. A happy and successful search though, as can be seen, for example, in Yves Gras Habemus Papam, a Châteauneuf-du-Pape from 2013.

Restrained but present, it has a fine fruity-floral bouquet. My nose digs deep into the glass, pleased with the slight scent of pastries and amazed by some fresh berry aromas that remind me of Pinot noir. Tasted blind, I certainly would assign the wine to a northerly and cooler wine region, instead of thinking of the sandy and rocky soils of the Rhône. On the palate there is a mineral, lemony freshness, embedded in soft curves and supported by young, crispy tannins.

If I wanted to describe the wine in three words, my choice would certainly go to “harmonious”, “delicate” and “juicy”. Being a great taste already now, you shouldn’t underestimate its aging potential however.

FOOD MATCHES FOR HERBIVORES
To deal with both the freshness and the aromatics of the wine, you should match it with a fricassee of grilled vegetables, balsamic sauce and parmesan cheese. A Tarte tatin of mushrooms with caramelized root vegetables will do a great job too, while cheese lovers shouldn’t be afraid of a Brie de Meaux, truffled or not.

FOOD MATCHES FOR CARNIVORES AND PESCETARIANS
Veal kidneys in red wine sauce, lamb loin with honey and thyme, Linguini with roasted radicchio, mussels and black pepper...
2013 - Looking back on a rather lucky vintage ...

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

The vintage 2013 in France can be considered as extraordinary, even if the annual balance sheet of Météo France disagrees with that.

Everyone still remembers the hailstorms moving around the country, as well as the unusually cool and wet spring. But we tend to forget that the first consequence of bad weather is not a loss of quality, but of quantity. The weather in 2013 was especially problematic during the flowering period. But when vine florishes, it does not want to be disturbed. Cold, wind, rain, but also drought and heat often provoke “coulure”: Instead of becoming berries, the flowers just fall off.

In 2013 thus, France “only” was the world’s second largest wine producer, just behind Italy, with some 44 million hectoliters of wine (4.4 billion liters) coming from its vineyards. Not really bad. And don’t we all agree that good wine is not a question of quantity, but of quality (and I would like to apologize for this statement to all winegrowers whose economic viability is endangered by excessive crop failures in 2013)?

But we should not forget that you can not judge a vintage just by the national or even regional weather balance. As winemaker you develop a specific stratagy for every vineyard, for each variety, and for each microclimate. Because every microclimate is influenced by a variety of factors: A protective forest, a south-facing slope, a few meters up, lower groundwater... Only small differences and variations in the environment can make harvest better or worse.

“A rare but good vintage” wrote the French business magazine “Capital” in September 2013. A phrase you should remember during your next visit to your favourite wine shop - instead of relying on unqualified statements of self-proclaimed wine experts. Go and hunt for the fine and already rare wines of this great vintage, I guarantee, it’s worth it!
Château du Cèdre Cahors: Le Cèdre Cahors 2013 in Wine Enthusiast Buyers Guide

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Pure Malbec, this wine from organic grapes is black, dark and powerful. It’s driven by its tannins and dry wood and fruit flavors. For the moment, this serious, structured wine is waiting on the fruit to develop. It’s a complex, spicy, dense wine that shouldn’t be drunk before 2020.
A good glass of… Pierres #Syrah Les Aspres in 2013 #Languedoc

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

The dark, blood-red color matches well to the intense bouquet, dominated by smoky flavours and fresh cherries. Full of power and arrogance, you should give him a large glass so that it can properly unfold its bouquet you certainly will enjoy: licorice, vanilla, freshly cooked jam, blond tobacco and cocoa.

Mineral acidity on the palate, together with pleasant roundness, slight sweetness and an explosion of spices on the tongue: star anise, cinnamon, a little pepper and fennel seed. The restrained but concise tannin structure makes this pure Syrah to a full and harmonious wine, with an almost endless finish... It look like it has especially been made for lovers of fine and expressive wines with a penchant for extreme taste sensations. You may enjoy it now without hesitating, or leave it to ripen in your cellar for many more years.

FOOD MATCHES FOR CARNIVORES: Rump steak with sour cherries, lamb tagine with prunes and almonds, “real” spaghetti carbonara, rabbit pâté ...

FOOD MATCHES FOR HERBIVORES: With dried fruits and oriental spices stuffed cabbage, linguini with pesto of sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese and hazelnuts.
A good glass of... Touriga Nacional 2013 from France !

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Only just poured, and already he gets cocky on the glasses edge. It seduces with a lush perfume, as impressive as its dark colour: blackberries and raspberries, some smoke and bay leaves, roasted hazelnuts and cinnamon ...

Touriga Nacional Pierre Cros

I’m really impressed by the character of this Portuguese grape variety that has taken root in the rocky soil of the Minervois. Fresh on the palate, with just as much flavour as odour and a hint of mint that makes the whole thing a little weightless… Its generous and creamy with very long aftertaste. I also find the scent trail of raspberry leaves, sweet and tart at the same time (in my youth I fermented raspberry leaves to make tea from it).

You won’t drink this wine without paying attention. Just sit down and forget about time…