Geological Diversity in AOC Cahors

Malbec is the ideal grape to express the striking duality of Cahors terroir. Between two wildly different bodies of water, each one with its own distinct climatic influence, it is also home to two different types of terrain that significantly influence the style of the wines in their own unique ways.

Cahors consists of several terraces that are a defining feature of the region’s terroir. Formed by layers of alluvial deposits, these terraces influence the style and longevity of a given wine. About two thirds of Cahors wines come from four terraces in between the Lot River and the Massif Central mountain range. The first terrace, closest to the river, has the lowest elevation, in addition to a higher content of clay, gravel, and nutrients within its well-drained soil. Many of the region’s softest and most fruit-forward, approachable wines come from the first and second terraces.  

Moving toward the mountains, the elevation increases, as does the limestone and iron content of the soil. Wines from the third and fourth terraces tend to be the region’s richest and most long-lived. In Cahors, we may choose to blend grapes from multiple terraces, or we may select a single terrace to highlight its individual terroir. Lucien does both for different cuvees.

The remaining third of Cahors wines comes from the Causse—the rugged plateau above the more fertile terraces, where clay, marl, chalk, and iron dominate the soil composition. Here, vines must dig deep to find water and nutrients, giving the dark, inky finished wines a singularly intense concentration and complexity that, like those from the fourth terrace, can age for many years to come.