50 years of AOC Cahors

Since receiving its prestigious Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) designation in 1971, the Cahors appellation has persevered through many challenges, continuously beating the odds to survive owing largely to the tireless dedication of its passionate vintners such as my parents and myself who believe ardently in preserving the region’s unique terroir.  

Although the wines of Cahors had achieved great acclaim during the middle ages, a series of catastrophic events in the late 1800s—like the outbreak of phylloxera—caused the region to fall into serious decline. The region only began to recover with the establishment of the Caves d’Olt co-operative in 1947, when the proportion of noble varieties began to increase, as did investment in better wine-making technology. Another setback occurred in 1956, when a devastating winter freeze wiped out nearly all of the region’s plantings. While this was tragic and painful for Cahors vintners, it gave them a much-needed fresh start.  

Vineyards were subsequently replanted, largely with Malbec—the best-suited grape for Cahors’ distinctive terroir—and now we have the experience and equipment necessary to produce high-quality wines from the variety. As a result of these improvements, Cahors was awarded AOC status in 1971, with the stipulation that all wines must contain at least 70% Malbec, with Tannat or Merlot permitted as blending partners. 

Still, Cahors remained in the shadow of neighboring Bordeaux, until the 1980s and 1990s, when a major surge of interest and investment for the Malbec variety in Argentina shone an international spotlight on the unsung grape. Around this time, members of the co-op were, with increasing frequency, leaving to explore high-quality, small-scale winemaking rather than bulk production—propelling the character and reputation of Cahors wine into a new stratosphere of elegance, and refinement, and power. My parents, Arnaldo & Monique, are an example of this. Twenty years later, I am continuing their legacy and hope to implant mine for the future.

While the size of the Cahors growing area has shrunk from over 40,000 hectares in the region’s heyday to around 3,500 hectares today, the quality of Cahors wine has never been better.