Cork from a Cahors Chateau du Cedre Le Prestige

Chateau du Cèdre, “Le Prestige”, Verhaeghe et Fils, 2004, 13.5% ABV

Picked up this wine from Fallon & Byrne for €18.95 two months ago and while I’m not one for “laying down” wine, I’ve only just got around to opening it

Photo of the Cahors Chateau du Cedre Le Prestige 2004 wine label

How did the Chateau du Cèdre go down?

  • Looks: deep dark purple ink
  • Smells: fruits of the forest with a bit of a farmyardy-mushroomy-tree bark thing going on too
  • Tastes: Great burst of blackberry juice followed by a a velvety smooth tannins which begin to dry out the mouth towards the end. While the tannins are noticeable and it’s definitely a heavy-bodied wine, it’s much more “balanced” (see below) than the Clos Triguedina I had a couple of weeks ago. Still, the moisture sucking tannins could soften a bit with a few more years “laying down” (explanation below).
  • Verdict: delicious, and one I’d recommend heartily, particularly to Elke over at the Dine & Wine club in Cork who found the Clos Triguedina too much. While it may get better with a few more years, it’s excellent now, so open it up.
  • Grapes: 90% Malbec, 10% Tannat

Photo of Chateau du Cedre Le Prestige 2004 from Cahors

What does a “balanced” wine mean?

A balanced wine is one in which no one particular component stands out and overshadows the others. Where the Clos Triguedina was completely dominated by tannins, this has a bit of everything all in harmony.

What does laying down a wine mean?

Laying down means putting your wine away for a couple of years to chill out and relax. It should generally be:

  • stored on it’s side, to keep the wine in contact with the cork (stops it drying out, shrinking and letting the air in),
  • kept away from wild fluctuations in heat and vibrations.
  • kept away from strong light

Where? It can be under the stairs, the bottom of the wardrobe, or in a purpose built wine cellar which you can show off to your friends while you all look at the bottles sitting there and talk about how they’ll develop over the years.

Much more from Cahors…

  • See all my posts on wine from Cahors
  • Visit frenchmalbec.com, a website devoted exclusively to the Malbec-based wines of Cahors.
  • Look at a great GV WLTV episode on Cahors
  • Get some extra background on the Chateau du Cèdre from thewinedoctor.com