Cahors le Grand Cedre Chateau du Cedre 75cl

Pascal Verhaeghe has been the driving force behind the Cahors “Quality Charter” and quality oozes from these wines. The estate was originally created by Charles Verhaeghe on vineyard land devastated by the frosts in 1956 in Viré-SurLot. Ecological viticultural methods eschewing weedkillers and chemical fertilizers, yield reduction by serious pruning, leaf stripping for greater sun exposure and air circulation, harvesting the grapes on the verge of overripeness yield the superb raw material essential to create fabulous wines. In the cellars the Verhaeghes aim for softness, richness and harmony through gentle extraction by long vattings and limited pigeage, malolactic fermentation and sensible use of oak.

Le Grand Cèdre from vines yielding a mere 15hl/ha this black beauty, a thoroughbred in a fine stable of Cahorses, is aged in 500-litre new oak demi-muids with long lees contact, and is, as Andrew Jefford describes it so eloquently “strikingly soft, lush and richly fruited, a kind of Pomerol amongst Cahors”. The Cèdre wines repay long ageing and will accompany local goat’s cheeses such as Cabecou and Rocamadour, grilled meats and duck every which way.