If you look for a Malbec at a wine store, chances are that you will head straight to the Argentina section. And it’s no surprise, because over 3/4 of the world plantings of this grape are in Argentina, and it is the most widely planted grape there.
The Malbec growing in Argentina was introduced in the mid 19th century by a French agronomist and is known as Côt back in its homeland. But in France, Côt is not even in the top 20 grape varieties. How is that possible ? It’s a story of a bug, a frost, and black wine.
Côt Noir
Côt Noir, or Malbec is a bit of a finicky grape.
First, it is quite sensitive to frost, so harsh winters are a no-no. Its main drawback is that it’s susceptible to coulure: a cold, rainy spring can wreak havoc on these grapes and prevent flowers to be pollinated, resulting in grapes full of tiny, green, dry berries. If the grape makes it through the spring, the compact clusters are an open invitation for mildew, especially in wetter climates where high humidity. All of these factors make Malbec more suited to warmer climates.
But it was widely planted in Bordeaux in the mid 19th century, even though the climate is borderline given Côt’s sensitivity, as well as in the Bordeaux satellites (Bergerac, Marmande).
But Cahors, a small town in the South West of France and where the grape was widely cultivated is further away from the Atlantic ocean and closer to the Mediterranean, and Côt found its home there.
Near extinction
France, like most of continental Europe, was decimated by the phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century.
Phylloxera is an aphid that destroys grapevines through their rootstock, eventually cutting off the sap to the grapes. It’s a pest native from North America, for which the European Vitis vinifera (the common grapevine) has no resistance, and there is no known cure for it. The only solution that European grape growers found was to graft the varieties of Vitis vinifera they wanted to keep onto vine rootstock that was hybridized from North American varieties. But this involved ripping out existing vines and replanting anew. Of course, when that happened, vine growers tried to avoid planting varieties that are difficult to grow, so Malbec plantings fell out of favour.
But the death knell of Malbec in France was the 1956 frost. In the winter of 1956, a sudden frost destroyed many acres of fruit trees, all over France. Temperatures in Provence plunged from +20˚C to -20˚C overnight, destroying crops. And of course, with Malbec being sensitive to frost, most of the plantings died.
So when it came time to replant the vines that had dies, Malbec didn’t make the cut and was replaced in Bordeaux by Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc or Merlot. The same goes for the Bordeaux satellites, where you can still find Malbec as an important but accessory grape in Pécharmant but is for the most part almost gone.
Cahors
But vignerons in Cahors decided to go the other way. The climate being more favourable, they decided to plant even more Côt after the 1956 frost.
While the Argentinian and French versions are clearly from the same genetic lineage, it’s also apparent that Argentinian Malbec berries are smaller and packed more tightly together than their current Cahors Côt counterparts. And that’s because the remaining French were selected from the ones that survived both phylloxera and frost.
By law, Cahors AOC must contain at least 70% Côt, with a balance of Merlot and Tannat (Madiran is only a few hundred kilometres from Cahors). The resulting wine is deeply dark, earning its nickname of black wine (since at least the middle ages).
While Argentinian Malbec is ripe and very fruit-forward with velvety tannins, Cahors is more structured and has a long ageing potential. Acidity, which can be a bit low in warmer climates, tends to be well balanced in Cahors, and the wines do well with oak. Like all Malbec-based wines, expect aromas of blackberries, plum and spice or nuttiness when oak-aged.
But like many French wines, Cahors is a wine that is more suited to accompany a meal rather than sipping on its own (like an Argentinian Malbec).
Despite the efforts of the Cahors vine producers to associate their appellation to Malbec World Day (every year on April 17th), these wines remain in relative obscurity, although they are frequently found on the shelves of your local stores.
As usual, you can find the local inventory of Cahors wines at Winereco
So grab yourself a bottle, you have about a month to find one before Malbec World Day. Until then, happy drinking!