Intro to Chateau Pineraie Cahors – Chateau Pineraie in Cahors France is in the north-west of the Cahors region and made from Merlot to blend with old vine Malbec, producing Cahors with elegance and finesse. Full tasting note and wine making – Chateau Pineraie has intense berry fruit with plum, blackberry and lots of spice. Vanilla and soft oak as well as violets and a potpourri character add complexity, which is balanced by gentle tannins. Smooth and sumptuous, this wine expresses the almost tender notes of Malbec. Malbec is known locally as Cot and Cahors could be described as the original and natural home of Malbec (the popularity of Argentinian Malbec owes much to its French relatives!). Chateau Pineraie is made of 85% Côt (Malbec) and 15% Merlot with the grapes being hand sorted according to very strict specifications. After fermentation the wine is then aged for one year in oak barrels, 30% of which are new barrels. It’s only lightly filtered before bottling to preserve fruit quality and character. The producer – Cahors has been an established winemaking area for centuries and a latin manuscript dating from 1456 shows that the Burc family were already land owners around Cahors at that time. 5th generation vigneron, Jean-Luc Burc now shares the running of this 50 hectare estate near Puy-l’Eveque with his daughters Anne and Emmanuelle. They produce individual and characterful wines from their various vineyard parcels which encompass all the classic terroirs of the region including the renowned terraces of the Lot. The estate is carefully managed according to the principles of lutte raisonneé. Drink with – Drink with red meats or pork in wine, cream or even peppercorn sauces and game. Mature hard cheeses work nicely, too!
