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. Rural, complex and complete.

Grapes harvested in September/October.

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.

The estate comprises of 37 hectares which contains the various soil types that make up the Cahors. On the terraces of the Lot, the vineyard is made of subsoil composed of old alluvium and limestone plateau with clay and marl. Composed of 85% of Auxerrois and 15% of Merlot, the vine stocks of the Pineraie are on the 2nd and 3rd terraces and on the limestone plateau. A dozen hectares are located on the commune of Lacapelle Cabannac. The lower parts of the vineyard are clay while the higher parts are clay, limestone and hard flint. Quality control is a major factor to production, with low yielding limits applied to each patch to help produce ripe, healthy grapes whilst maintaining a good balance with the land. Pesticides are only applied according to a weekly statistical parasite count and weather forecast. The vines, including some very old Malbec, are planted in clay-limestone soil which helps to keep yields naturally low (productivity is approximately 4.500 litres per hectare). 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. Fermentation is controlled to 30 degrees with maceration on the skins from 2 - 3 weeks, including frequent pumping over and aeration. 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.

Drink with red meats or pork in wine, cream or even peppercorn sauces and game. Mature hard cheeses work nicely, too!