Grape Variety: Auxerrois

Colour:

Red

Its name is legion: Auxerrois is better-known as Malbec in wine books, or Cot in the Loire. It can produce wine that is light, fresh and fragrant with moderate alcohol and high acidity (Chateau Paillas and Clos de Gamot) and more extractive styles with impenetrably dark colours and powerful tannins.In certain examples it can display cassis and wild raspberry aromas as well as smoked figs and quince (see the wonderful example of this grape “Le Cedre” (100% Auxerrois) from Chateau du Cedre, Once the wines of Cahors earned the sobriquet ‘the black wine of France’ and now historical flavour of Cahors is being recreated in the example of the ‘new Black Wine’ from Jean-Luc Baldes of Clos Triguedina - an innovative and passionnate winemaker.To do so he reproduces the production method used in those days which involves bringing the grape must to the boil by ‘cooking’ it at 60 degrees centigrade - a process which causes a lot of the water content in the wine to evaporate, as a result encouraging a more active fermentation in which the colouring agents dissolve perfectly. This wine is treacly and broodingly dark, with a dry, grippy, herby flavour which is smooth and port-like, with a whisper of prunes and truffles to come.