Cahors 'Le Chene du Prince' Domaine du Prince is made from 100% Malbec in the almost forgotten region of Cahors in South-west France. With one year’s barrel ageing, it is a brooding, powerful wine with layers of dark red and black fruit, undergrowth, truffle, spicy notes and a softness that evokes a smile. This is very much a modern style of Malbec with a velvety Argentinian texture perfectly combined with some modern French elegance.
Domaine du Prince, situated in Cahors and run by Didier Jouves and his son Leo, is a 67-hectare estate devoted exclusively to Malbec. The Cahors region sits approximately 200km from both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean so experiences both wet Atlantic air and warmer winds from the south. The vineyards are located on the plateau, scattered in plots within 5km of the village of Cournou which sits approximately 20km west of the town of Cahors. The soils are mainly chalky clay with the richness of the clay varying between plots. This allows Didier to make different styles of wine from the varying plots. Farming is organic, yeasts are wild and maceration is long (4 weeks).
Wine from Cahors were historically called “Black Wine” due to its strength and colour. Indeed, it is only recently that producers have started to soften the style and make it more approachable. The huge success of Malbec in Argentina has inspired a whole new generation of producers in the region to produce wines of elegance, power and richness. There will be a lot more to come from this region in the future.
