(RECAP: It's Monday! What did you think of the Cahors? We had it Saturday night as the snow started falling and the crowd gave it a thumbs up, although Maxwell thought it was "a little thin." Comment and vote below. A new wine recommendation comes in on Thursday.)
Name: Georges Vigouroux Cahors "Gouleyant"
Producer: Georges Vigouroux
Grape: 80% Malbec, 20% Merlot
Region: France
Price: $11.99
Stores: Beacon Wines (2120 Broadway between 73rd & 74th Street), Union Square Wines and Spirits (33 Union Square West between 16th & 17th Street), Harlem Vintage (2235 Frederick Douglas Blvd between 126th & 127th Street) and... [late breaking news] Fresh Direct
Malbec was the talk of the NY Times this week and I realized that one of my all time favourites, Georges Vigouroux, did not make the article. An oversight perhaps? Initially I fell in love with the stylish and artistic label, after the first sip I realized that my shallow instinct was justified by what was in the bottle.
The new vintage is out and I've yet to try it; hopefully it is as good as in years past. With the recent cold snap, Malbec is the perfect style of wine to warm chilled bones, so let's continue on this week's theme.
Cahors is a little known region in Southwest France that grows Malbec, Tannat (a dark, black grape with lots of spice) and Merlot. Malbec is one of the traditional Bordeaux varietals and should be deep in color and flavor. It is offten described as a purple wine with dark plum and cassis tones. Malbecs are robust wines with ample tannins and loads of flavor and spice that can hold their own against a heavy winter meal; Cassoulet, Stew, Lamb Kebobs...
Grab a bottle this weekend and let us know what you think!
Very nice. We drank two bottles over the course of the weekend and found it light and tasty and good with food. Lightness was the main impression, however, and this was not as satisfying on a cold winter night. Better during warmer weather as it wasn't a rich, long tasting wine.
I brought terrific wines home from SW France a couple years ago -- none that I've found available here.
so thanks!
Astor Wine is doing a tasting from that region next week
Thursday, February 16; 5-8 PM
and as they reduce their stock for the big move, French and Italian wines will be 25% off next week.
I have already cased out Astor and know exactly which French and Italians I am buying on Monday morning. 25% off sales are so rare for wine shops, this is going to be quite a treat!
You also get this at FreshDirect(http://www.freshdirect.com/product.jsp?productId=wine_bc_vigrx_chr&catId=win_big&trk=srch)for 1.50 to 2.00 less that you all mention... So not only is it a great price but you can have it delivered right to your door! I had it a couple of nights ago and while it was good - I think it is so much better with food. It is one of those wines that needs food to shine.. what about a great Cantalet or Cantal (it is a cheese from the French Alps with nice herbacios notes with a strong finish.) Now that is a match made in heaven. http://www.freshdirect.com/product.jsp?productId=wine_bc_vigrx_chr&catId=win_big&trk=srch
Jess,
Good golly! Fresh Direct?! Thanks for the tip, we've updated the stores listing.
jenny,
did you recognize either of the gigondas at astor?
I was doing a little casing of my own . . . and buying a case of a Washington State red, Kiona Lemberger.
I did not specifically look at Gigondas (I am using this sale as an opportunity to add a few rare and pricey bottles to my cellar), from their website I notice that they have the 2001 Montirius, who is a wonderful producer. This wine should be very elegant with more concentrated fruit than normally found in Gigondas and great ageability. Plus the 2001 vintage was another in a series of great Southern Rhone vintages ~ long growing season, little problems. It's a bit pricey at $29.99 but less the discount, it could be worth investigating. Happy hunting.
If anyone knows where these can be found in LA please share. Couldn't find last week's Fleur Pinot Noir at any of the 3 prominent wine shops in my area. Thanks!
I just checked online and cannot find them out West either. The biggest retailers in the Los Angeles area are: Hi-times (www.hitimewine.net), Wine Club (www.thewineclub.com, Wally's (www.wallywine.com) and Wine House (www.winehouse.com). Unfortunately distribution usually hits a bump between coasts and we often have different things. This was fun for me when I moved to New York from California but harder for bi-coastal recommendations. If anyone finds it, let us know.
thanks jenny!
in the store the Montirius 2001 was $23.99
tell us about your finds on monday . . .
I for one wouldn't know where to begin with the rare and expensive
Thanks Jenny. I checked both Wally's and the Wine House last weekend. I guess I have no idea about the inner workings of wine distribution. I figured a California wine would have some representation in LA.
Edie ~ sadly the California market is rich with competition and some wines never sell within their state of creation. That being said most of the best Californian wines never leave California, which is a sad thing for us. Let us know if you find any great stores down there for us to put on our radar.
Oooooohhhhh! Nice. Very nice! Thanks for the suggestion. My date and I had a wonderful night, thanks to the bottle of Cahors. I also found a half bottle that was imported by Kermit Lynch. I will be buying this for years to come!
I disagree; I found the wine to be dark and spicy in an old world style. Not big & alcoholic in the modern style that is commonly associated with rich and long, rather this was classic. When I think of light wine on a warm day, I think of Beaujolais or something else with bright, zippy fruit and little tannin, not something as dark and brooding as Malbec. It certainly doesn't have the body as, say a Zinfandel, which could lead to an impression of thinness due to point of reference. In my opinion modern styles are too obvious, playing to the sugar craving Coca Cola taste buds of Americana. Then again, that's the beauty of taste it is subjective.
Well said Maggie, but I think Maxwell was probably referring to the low alcoholic content of the wine and the subtleness of the tannins when he referred to the Cahors as being light. In comparison to wines from other regions/ countries, French wines are usually lighter, having lower alcohol and lower tannins, making them better wines.