Château La Caminade La Commandery Cahors 2019

Alcohol: 14.5%

Grape(s): 100% Malbec

Localization: Cahors, Southwest France

Tasting Notes: Lovely dense black cherry and blackcurrant aromas on the nose. This has fresh and ripe fruit flavours with some definite white pepper.

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast: Firm, still with plenty of tannins in place, this wine has a way to go. Its generous richness is impressive, with black fruits layered with tannins, and licorice flavors over black plums. Drink this full-bodied wine from 2022. 

Notes: Grapes sorted and 100% de-stalked and long maceration (35 to 40 days) under strict temperature control. Extraction by pushing the cap of marc under the surface twice a day until a density of 1050 is reached, then once a day down to about 1015/1010.

Maturing 12 months in oak barrels of which 50% are new each year.

Food Pairing: Enjoy this wine with full flavored braised meat dishes.

The Domain: The vineyards of Cahors lay an equal distance from the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees. They are planted along the banks and hills of the Lot River valley. As a result of its millennia of work carving through a limestone plateau, the Lot River left a narrow band of hills ideally suited to the vine. The soils vary according to their proximity to the river, with the lower terraces having more alluvial deposits and the upper vineyards having more exposed rock. The vineyards date back at least two thousand years and the wines of Cahors have an illustrious history that includes being sought after by the Roman Emperor Domitian, kings, bishops and the Russian Orthodox Church.  The Chateau La Caminade vineyards lie in Parnac, in the heart of the Cahors region. The vineyard covers a variety of soil types including gravelly sand and clay/limestone. The Ressès family has been making wine here for four generations.

La Commandery comes from the best parcels in the La Caminade vineyard. Typically it is from parcels of old vines growing on the “third terrace”, but the final selection is made after the fermentations have occurred. For this cuvee, the Ressès try to use exclusively Malbec although sometimes a small amount of tannat is blended for complexity. Fermentation temperature is controlled and maceration is extended to five weeks.