Sneak attack on Cahors
 

August, 2009

Recently we joined three other families for a weeklong reunion of sorts at a renovated farmhouse in the South West of France near Lauzerte. We had stayed at La Gleyaire in the hamlet of Saint Romain 14 years ago for a fantastic week of fresh croissants, pain au chocolat and baguettes in the morning, local produce cooked up in the evening washed down by local and not so local wines. In between were hours in the swimming pool, games of tennis at the court in the nearest village and a canoe trip on the River Lot. 

Back then there was one child, a baby, now there were 7 youngsters plus a ring in. Full of high expectations, we set out to recreate a similar bonhomie, which can be a risky business. Our family was thwarted early on when our beloved rough haired Jack Russell fell very ill the day before we were due to leave for France. 

Ten year old Max, who had nearly died from Addison’s disease earlier in his career and now takes vast quantities of expensive narcotics to manage it, had joined us in the UK from Australia last September. Prior to being allowed to enter the country he had to be immunised for rabies, (which does not exist in Oz), and spend 3 months in kennels as part of quarantine procedures. 

Once he arrived in England we discovered he now had another condition caused by a reaction to the rabies shot. This new condition is difficult to treat and additional seriously expensive pills to be taken daily were prescribed after numerous tests. Our gold plated dog Max became solid gold as we poured more money into this canine venture, but he is one of the family so it has to be done. 

Anyway the day before we were leaving him in the trusted care of my father in law who was travelling to Wales our extremely scruffy dog became very ill, was rushed to the vet, diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and taken into care. The trip was postponed as we faced the possibility of him dying or the difficult decision of whether to end his suffering. Assessments were made every few hours but he is a tough little bugger and by the Sunday he appeared to be out of the woods and now made of platinum. (He now has to live for another 10 years for us to get a full return on our investment) So on the Monday we snuck off to Dover to catch the ferry, leaving my sister in law and her husband to supervise the recuperation and administer around 10 pills per day and feed him 6 times a day. 

Having arrived in Boulogne after a smooth and fast crossing (1 hour) in the brand new LD ferry, the “Norman Arrow”, we made a 10 hour dash to the Le Gleyaire which is about an hour south of Cahors and an hour north of Toulouse to catch up with our mates. 

With the Cahors wine region nearby I was hoping I may get to visit at least one vigneron before returning to the Old Dart, but this could prove difficult on a family holiday. Fortunately an opportunity arose when one couple, who do not have children, wanted to visit a market in Monsempron-Libos on the River Lot, whilst the majority of the party wanted to go to a hypermarket in Agen for various reasons. 

I attached myself to this couple and we decided that the plan of action was to visit the market to have a squiz and pick up fresh produce for the next evening’s meal then visit a winery on the way back.   

After sniffing around the bustling market which had an array of food stalls selling fish, duck, meat, cheese, fruit and vegetables as well as clothes, pastries and the likes of soaps we wandered back to the car with a bag of fresh unidentified fish, three magret of duck, some Lyon style pork sausages, celeriac and some fresh melons. We thought we would drive towards Cahors and see which vineyard might take our fancy, however on the windscreen of the car in English was a pamphlet inviting us to visit Domaine du Garinet, an estate I had come across in my cursory research before coming to the South of France which is owned and run by an English couple, Mike and Sue Spring. 

It seemed ordained and logical that we should visit them so we set out along the winding road overlooking the River Lot for a few miles past vineyards on the river flats before cutting across the river and heading up into the surrounding hills. 

The first thing that strikes you about the region is that it is not solid vineyards like other wine areas but has a mixture of vegetables, orchards and sunflowers growing nearer to the river and cropping, grazing, woods and forest as you go higher into the hills with varying soils and vineyards dotted around the place. It is also pretty with a different vista around each corner although at the time we where there in early August it was looking very dry. Later Mike Spring confirmed that they had not had rain for two months.     

The Cahors region is renowned for producing big dark black and tannic wines made principally from Malbec the prevalent grape grown with a little Merlot and Tannat added often. It is an appellation that is probably in transition with three types of wines produced. At one end of the spectrum there are the traditional Cahors wines that are tannic and dark requiring years of cellaring to develop full potential and soften the tannins. At the other end, prompted by the success of Argentina with Malbec and market forces, are the more fruit driven less tannic and forward simple versions. The third and most interesting styles to my mind are those that are somewhere in the middle with typical Cahors impenetrable colour and dark fruit yet more restrained tannins and sophisticated oak handling. They can be complex but are much more approachable at a younger age. Let’s face it who has the money, time and inclination these days to age wine for twenty to thirty years. 

Again from my experience of Cahors, which I don’t hesitate to say is limited, there are producers that are sticking to the traditional methods and styles, there are those that are producing solely modern fruity wines and there are the smart ones producing a range of wines encompassing all styles. 

Mike and Sue Spring bought Domaine du Garinet in 1994 and fall into the last category. In addition they have introduced their own methods such as growing or trellising the vines higher than is traditional for the area in order to increase the leaf area exposed to the sun and achieve a longer ripening period. They are also one of the very few producers of white wine in the region having planted Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. 

Arriving at Domaine du Garinet with its typical stone farm buildings perched on the side of a hill we are greeted by a relaxed bespectacled and bearded gent who looked exactly like a scientist who runs a small vineyard in the South of France. In fact Mike Spring used to be in computers and he beckoned us into the tasting area of the winery, which was refreshingly cool and dark compared to the bright heat outside. 

Once our eyes adjusted to our surroundings consisting of oak barrels and small wine tanks we engaged in an almost languid conversation with Mike about his wines, the vineyard and his approach to growing grapes and making wine. 

We are told they only grow and make their red wines from Malbec although the appellation rules allow for up to 30% of Merlot or Tannat. They hand pick the white grapes using willing volunteers but machine harvest the reds. The whites sell well locally as there are few white wines made in Cahors. They make a Sauvignon, an unoaked Chardonnay, an oaked Chardonnay, a Rosé and four different versions of Malbec all from a 2.5 hectare vineyard. 

As we tasted through the wines we discussed organic and bio-dynamic methods which Mike has some very strong views on reflecting a scientific approach but also an “each to his own”  philosophy. The Springs try to minimise their intervention and use of chemicals as much as possible assessing what best suits their situation as well as the environment. Mike believes there is evidence that some of the allowed applications under official organic and bio-dynamic regimes such as copper are at least as toxic if not more than some of the prohibited fungicides. It is well worth reading his views on their website which seem quite logical and level headed in a debate that can be heated and hijacked by zealots and troglodytes. 

As for the wines themselves the Sauvignon and the unoaked Chardonnay were both attractive and fruity with a good underlying minerality reflecting the limestone and clay soils in the vineyard. 

I was not so enamoured with the barrel fermented Chardonnay finding the oak a bit aggressive and domineering but it will appeal to some. 

We were not offered the Rosé but next tasted the 2007 Domaine du Garinet Cuvee Bonheur  (5.50€) which is a very attractive New World style Malbec and certainly good value from the domaine with juicy fruit and soft tannins. Then we sampled the 2001 Domaine du Garinet Fût de Chêne (8.50€) which has spent 14 months in oak and is 8 years old yet still has considerable tannin. From a typical Cahors vintage it displays characteristic dark colour and a quite spicy complex nose but the fruit seemed to be drying out a bit leaving the tannin a little dominant. A good wine but I preferred others in the range. Would appeal to Claret lovers. 

The 2002 Domaine du Garinet Fût de Chêne (8.50€) I found to be very interesting and attractive. It had the region’s trade marks of dark fruit and colour but the tannins were more moderate and finer, providing balance and complexity along with some delightful integrated oak. Extremely well made and an example of the middle ground style of Cahors wine that is true to the region, approachable and sophisticated. 

Finally the 2004 Domaine du Garinet Réserve (7.20€) which is aged in older barrels and from a year that produced concentrated fruit. This wine is a bit of a youngster but well worth buying a case or two and putting down to enjoy its development over the next 5 – 10 years. There is powerful yet juicy fruit, slightly chalky drying tannins and a nuance of oak. One to have with the annual Chateaubriand or any time you are having a decent steak. 

The Springs also produce a Domaine du Garinet Classique each year that is the same Malbec wine but without any oak maturation and which takes a few years more to soften off. 

Overall a thoroughly enjoyable experience with a range of well made wines that are not only interesting but with the selection of styles there is something for everyone that likes wine. The visit was all the better for a very convivial host who conveyed the passion, trials and tribulations of a small wine estate in a quiet but engaging manner. 

We headed back to our farmhouse from Domaine du Garinet with a selection of wines, chutney and walnut oil, all grown and made at the estate, to accompany our fish, duck, sausages, celeriac and melons in the car. 

All in all a very successful foraging trip and a bit of a sneak attack that left a desire to explore Cahors further at a later date. 

Domaine du Garinet
46800 Le Boulvé
France

email:      mail1@domainedugarinet.fr

Phone:    +33 (0)5 65 31 96 43

http://www.domainedugarinet.fr/index.html