Sometimes you have to be patient, even more if it concerns the life a wine. Two years in barrels and eight years of bottle ripening in the cellars of Château du Cèdre for this Cahors “Grand Cru” from the almost mythic 2000 vintage.

The cork looks perfect and shows pleasant smells of fresh cork and dry fruits. The wine pours dark, although more diaphanous than expected in the large glass I choose. This wine needs space…

Getting closer to the glass, my nose first is a little surprised to find a quite young and fresh odour. Sour cherry with a little blackcurrant, but also several shy aromas that prefer to stay hidden at the bottom of the glass. I choose a narrow carafe and quickly decant the wine to give it some air and to separate it from its depot.

Immediately the bouquet develops: Vanilla, cinnamon, hazelnut and cloves intermingle with the more and more powerful and ripe fruit, and finally leaves the emptied glass to delicate aromas of black olives and lemon.

On the palate, clear minerality and smooth tannins with quite some character primarily dominate the wine. Its richness constantly rises towards mouth-filling volume and a long final flavour of cedar wood, white pepper, cherry and hints of smoke.

Accompanied by a pheasant ragout, according to a recipe of famous German Chef Alfons Schuhbeck, with a composition of occidental and oriental spices – laurel, juniper, curcuma, coriander, ginger, chilli, lemon…

A real celebration of tastes!

It’s a rich and savoury wine, now and still for another couple of years. Sometimes, you know, patience really pays…