Climate Change in Cahors
Cahors has always been a region prone to climatic extremes, and climate change has exaggerated that. While proximity to the Atlantic Ocean does offer a moderating effect, the appellation often experiences stifling Mediterranean heat and drought, cold, frosty winters, and damaging hail storms in the spring. Over the past decade, Cahors has seen an increase in anomalous weather events, causing many of us producers to lose a high percentage of their crop—sometimes an entire vintage—to hail and frost in a number of those years. In May of 2019, for example, a heavy overnight frost impacted around 3,500 hectares of Cahors vineyards, decimating between 60 and 70 percent of the region’s total expected harvest.
On the other hand, in vintages where extreme heat is the primary concern, even ripening becomes a challenge. Growers in Cahors work the soil in a way that encourages the vines to develop deep root systems to compensate for this, allowing them to access sufficient moisture. Well-drained soils with a high percentage of gravel are essential for keeping vines hydrated in Cahors; this leads to balanced wines with plenty of freshness and acidity.
It’s not all trials and tribulations, however. Cahors occasionally receives a warm, dry wind from the Mediterranean. After periods of rainfall, the Marin serves to quickly dry the grapes, lowering the risk of humidity-induced fungal infection.
Despite the recent climatic challenges, our wine-making community here in Cahors remains optimistic, perhaps because the appellation—and its signature grape, Malbec—are no stranger to weather-related adversity. In 1956, a devastating frost decimated the region’s plantings. The vineyards were replanted shortly thereafter, on new, phylloxera-resistant rootstocks, and in 1971 the region received AOC status.
Today, Cahors—the country’s stronghold for the variety—is primed to lead the charge for Malbec’s French comeback. The lighter, fresher style of wine that now prevails is inspiring a new generation of both winemakers and consumers, including Lucien, to appreciate Malbec’s powerful yet elegant expression of Cahors terroir.