Cahors

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The Caussenard plateaus, composed of Jurassic and Cretaceous limestones, reach elevations of around 300 metres and are characterized by steeply sloping sides.
• The 'white' Quercy plateau, located in the southern part of the geographic zone, corresponds to outcrops of marls and lacustrine limestones from the Oligocene and Miocene.
• The Lot valley features stepped alluvial terraces and broad meanders shaped by the river during the Quaternary era, with three terraces offering distinct terroirs.
• The climate is oceanic with continental and Mediterranean influences, and average annual rainfall is 700 millimetres, well distributed throughout the year with a peak in spring.
• The Autan wind, less frequent than the prevailing westerly winds, is a warm, dry wind from the south-east that blows in short spells during spring and autumn.

• A document of 1219 organises the management of the river between Cahors and Fumel, with towpaths and locks, for the dispatch of wine through the ports of the Lot valley.
• After the near-total destruction of the vineyards by phylloxera, which appeared in 1876, the appellation 'Vins de Cahors' was recognised by a ruling of the Lot tribunal on 31 July 1930, ahead of the AOC Cahors on 15 April 1971.

• The wines are generally very deeply coloured in their youth, with a colour ranging from near-black violet to deep purple, as has been the case since the period known as the black wine era.
• Destemming of the harvest is compulsory in order to extract the finest aromas, and the wines undergo ageing prior to release.
• With their capacity for ageing, the tannins gradually integrate to yield a dense, rounded structure, accompanied by evolved aromas of dried fruit and truffle.

• The Autan wind hastens budburst, flowering, and véraison, blows strongly in late summer thereby promoting grape ripeness, and dries out the vines after the August storms, limiting the development of fungal diseases.
• The Cot (or Malbec) grape variety finds a genuine ecological niche in this environment, the soils conferring on it moderate vigour that facilitates a natural regulation of yields.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF) — approved 24 octobre 2011, JORF 27 octobre 2011
• Official INAO text (show_texte)
• INAO product entry
• Official trade body site — UIVC — Union Interprofessionnelle du Vin de Cahors