Château Gaudou Cahors Grande Lignée
WHY WE LOVE IT
- This is René Durou’s first cuvée. This wine was first created in 1984, on a terroir renowned for its consistent “Grande” quality. This is a winegrowing locality run by a long line of winegrowers.
- The average vine age is 50 years.
- The grapes are grown in a climate which is oceanic, Mediterranean, and Central Massif.
- The vineyard soil is gravel and clay (Mndel).
Varietal Composition: 85% Malbec, 15% Merlot
Elaboration: Royat cordon pruning and vines fully grassed under the rows. Old vines, which produce their best grapes, make up a large part of the vineyard and are aged with the greatest care. Infusion vinification is employed to let the terroir express itself, gentle modern punching down, sulphur-free fermentation, indigenous yeasts and bacteria. Vegan fining during the winter and gravity-fed bottling. The wine is matured for 14 months in wooden casks.
Tasting Notes: “Dark berries, herbs and bark on the nose follow through to a medium body with fine tannins. Silky and elegant on the center palate. Smooth with a firmer expression in the finish. Drink or hold.” – James Suckling
PRESS
2019 – 93 Wine Enthusiast | 91 James Suckling
PRODUCER BACKGROUND
Fabrice Durou is the seventh generation to continue his family’s winemaking tradition in Cahors. Aware of the importance of his heritage but carried aloft by the wings of youth, young vigneron Fabrice Durou creates wine worthy of Gaudou’s history combining organic farming and meticulous vineyard management with gentle winemaking that emphasizes fruit expression over wood.
The Gaudou estate sits in Vire-sur-Lot amongst a handful of Cahors’ other most prestigious vineyard addresses – A mythical location referred to as “The Beverly Hills of the Cahors Appellation” by critic Michele Bettane. Most vines on the estate are considered “old vine,” some still on original rootstock being planted as far back as the late 1800’s!
A variety of soil types and exposures within the estate drives complexity in the finished wine, and in addition to our current offerings you’ll see small quantities of Gaudou wines broken into seven single vineyard bottlings. Fabrice has evolved a “Cru” based philosophy with the intention to showcase the unique characteristics of each vineyard block he is farming.