ATTLEBORO • NORWOOD • STURBRIDGE • SWANSEA
Jean-Luc Baldès, Du Clos Malbec, Cahors 2018
When we think of Malbec, lush red wines from Argentina immediately come to mind. We forget that Malbec’s original rise to fame originated in Southern France, called Cahors. The importance of Cahors can be traced back to 50 BC when the Romans planted vines and created Divona Cadurcorum (city of the Cadurques people), which gave its name to the town of Cahors. This ancient Roman city became quite the hot spot. Its aqueduct supplied the water for the Roman thermal baths that continued to operate for three centuries. They had a 350 feet long amphitheater, a theater that could accommodate up to 6,000 spectators, a basilica, and temples. This wealthy city was a thriving commercial center and, as such supported many craftsmen. The wine trade developed naturally with all this luxury and transport of barrels of wine to Burdigala on the Lot river, now known as Bordeaux. Since the 12th century, the Anglo Saxons have called the wines from Cahors the Black Wine.
By the 13th century, the city of Cahors was considered “the London of its day.” It was a center of financial activity, with people flooding into the town from all over Europe. And typically, where there is high-end financial activity, there is delicious food and good wine. In the Middle Ages, the reputation of Malbec wine from Cahors was so strong that it was exported worldwide. Cahors Malbec was served at many Palace dinners and impressed numerous wine geeks of the day. Cahors wine was shipped from England to Russia: Tsar Peter the Great is said to have been a big fan of the Kaorskoie vino, the wine of Cahors, and the Orthodox Church adopted it as its wine for mass. This ‘black wine’ as it was known, is said to have been on the wedding table of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II, King of England.
From the Renaissance onwards (15th century), the Little Ice Age affected the maturity of the Bordeaux grape varieties. It was not a true ice age of global extent, but it was particularly pronounced in the North Atlantic region, which occurred after the Medieval Warm Period. Interesting causes have been offered of this cool-down period, including low solar radiation, high volcanic activity, changes in the ocean circulation, and the one I found most interesting, decreases in the human population from epidemics such as the Black Death in the 14th century. It seems that when the human population suddenly is reduced by one-third, less coal is burnt, vegetation and trees come back, less CO2 in the atmosphere causes cooler temperatures. During this period, the Baltic Sea froze over. Twice. Canals and rivers in Great Britain and the Netherlands were frequently frozen deeply enough to support ice skating and winter festivals. The famous violinmaker Antonio Stradivari produced his instruments during the Little Ice Age. The colder climate is proposed to have caused the wood used in his violins to be denser than in warmer periods and that contributes to the tone of his instruments. The period-inspired such novelties in everyday life as the widespread use of buttons and button-holes, as well as the knitting of custom-made undergarments for the better covering and insulating of the body (long johns). During this time, Bordeaux wine became a light-colored ‘claret,’ and merchants improved the color of their wines by mixing them with other darker varieties; Malbec from Cahors was the most popular. Unfortunately, it is great for Bordeaux, not so good for Cahors in that although a common practice, it was never mentioned as an ingredient by Bordeaux winemakers. Having established a reputation for keeping well, Cahors became a ‘cargo wine’: in the navy, officers drank Cahors while sailors drank Bordeaux. In the 18th century, nearly 10,000 barrels of Cahors of wine passed through Bordeaux and then on to northern Europe, the West Indies, and the Americas.
In 1830, Etienne Baldès was searching for a site to plant vineyards at Cahors. At Clos Triguedina. Etienne Baldès spotted the most beautiful terraces in the Lot valley. Since then, seven generations of winegrowers have safeguarded the stability of the estate. A place steeped in history, pilgrims on the Santiago de Compostella (the way of St. James) route would often stop at Clos Triguedina to eat (me Trigo de Dina in the Occitan language means “I am looking forward to dinner”). Through the generations, the Baldès family’s pioneering spirit has led them to be one of the renowned wineries of the Cahors wine region, passing their knowledge, determination, and passion on from father to son.
Today, Jean-Luc Baldès, together with his wife Sabine and daughter Juliette, continues his forebears’ work and has elevated the wines to the highest level in the region. Its portfolio is dominated by the Malbec grape variety, known locally as Côt, which accounts for 75 percent of the vines cultivated in their 70 hectares (173 acres) of vineyards. Its soil of clay-and-limestone and siliceous clay is similar to that found in the famed Pomerol wine region. Jean-Luc Baldès, a worthy heir, often repeats: “The magic of Clos Triguedina is the richness of its terroirs that allows me to give free rein to my imagination.”
The wine has all the powerful, concentrated black fruit, open tannins, and the complex earthy backbone, which is so characteristic of Malbec grapes grown in Cahors. Clos Triguedina is recognized as the finest of Cahors estates, and Jean-Luc Baldès is renowned for his mastery of the Malbec grape variety. Jean-Luc Baldès wines are vinified under temperature-controlled conditions in stainless steel vats and are aged for between 12-18 months in Allier oak barrels, tuns, or vats.
Winemaker Notes
Elegant, generous aromas of dark fruits with rich, smooth with fruity overtones. Probably the best-known and most respected wine in Cahors. 100% Malbec.
Accolades
Concentrated nose of hedgerow fruit and violets. Intense on the palate with dark fruit and big, ripe tannins. Finishes long with a backbone of acidity. Decanter 95 pts

Inky dark purple color. Pure and youthful nose displaying violet, blackberry, cassis, and licorice with mild oak underneath. The palate is dense and concentrated, still youthful but with nicely polished tannin, fine oak integration, and vivid freshness balancing the density, dark berry flavors with mild spices and licorice leading to a long and powerful finish. Perfect for an impromptu dinner! Andreas Larsson 94 pts. Best Sommelier of the World (2007 ASI)
Fine Wine Offer
Jean-Luc Baldès, Du Clos Malbec, Cahors 2018  

When tasting a Cahors Malbec, I’m not looking for what most associate with a Malbec from Argentina. Argentina has more intense sunshine and longer hangtime that yields jammier ripe fruit flavors. Cahors should reflect the area South of Bordeaux, a cooler, mineral-rich region. To analyze and appreciate this French Malbec, I enlisted our resident Bordeaux expert, Tim Gunderman, to taste this wine for me. The anticipation in the air was palpable when we opened the wine. Color, as you would expect, was very dark; some would call it black. Aromas of relaxed fruit, on the palate olive tapenade and dark cherry, tannins very noticeable on the side of the mouth.
 
All in all, not a bad wine. But then we started gabbing about non-wine-related topics, and in about thirty minutes, holy guacamole, the gates of flavor open up in this wine. Tim noticed flavors exotic Indian spices, Satar, and some anise, the tannins noticeable before seemed to integrate as a dusty component to the fruit balanced by acidity. Then I noticed the dark fruit finish went on forever. This is what Malbec strives to be, a complex outstanding wine. At this price, it is a steal. Tim’s buying some, and I’m buying some, let’s all buy some. I have a good amount, but I am guessing this will be snapped up quickly, and we bought all they had.
Regular Price: $17.99
*Sale price is on 12 or more bottles, wine is packed in a 12 bottle case
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—John Hannum, Fine & Rare Wine Specialist
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