2020 Jouves & Croisille, Côt à Côt, Malbec, Cahors, France.
The new Jouves & Croisille label, as mentioned in my prior reviews, is the creation of longtime friends Fabien Jouves, Germain Croisille and his brother Simon, who have 30 hectares of all biodynamically farmed Malbec in Cahors, which has made for a cool side project for the talented Jouves, who has ignited a new wave of wines in this old region of France’s Southwest, with this Côt à Côt being an exciting modern expression. The deeply purple/black hued 2020 Jouves & Croisille Côt à Côt is highly aromatic and mineral toned with violets and tangy blue fruits leading the way along with a raw and slightly rustic crunch, but with a burst of acidity and mild tannins adding some finesse and lift. The medium bodied palate shows good depth and vinous texture, with black cherry, wild plum, black currant and some brambly black raspberry fruits, as well as some subtle spices, minty herb, a hint of sandalwood and gravelly stones. The normal old school Cahors would be leathery, dusty and fiery tannic, while this feels bright and fun in the glass, with maybe a resemblance to Mencia or Gamay even, and is completely different to the Malbec wines of high elevation Argentina, that can be huge, full bodied and oak driven, more Bordeaux like in style. Before Argentina’s rise and use of the Malbec grape, Cahors, which is a pre-Roman era wine region, was synonyms with this varietal, which can also be known as Côt, especially in the Loire, and it is good to be reminded of that and see such a fun array of proudly French offerings from this historic region. Malbec can be found all over France, most notably in Cahors, and of course it is one of the original 5 Bordeaux grapes, as well as the Loire Valley, plus it has a happy home in Argentina, as noted, and in most other new world countries, from California to Chile.
Winemaker Fabian Jouves, who as mentioned in my prior reviews, is redefining what we think of as French Malbec, in fact his Cahors, especially from his Mas Del Perie stable, is one of the most interesting wines from the region and his natural winemaking practices are highlighting this varietal in a way we couldn’t have imagined. Most of his wines are fermented and raised in a combination of cement and neutral oak barrels, making for pure and delicious Malbec that shows wonderful vitality and balance with dark fruits, good acidity and superb length. Some whole cluster and native yeasts add to the natural feel, plus an extra bit of complexity, and the low sulphur gives this wine the same kind of personality that you find in wines like Lapierre’s Morgon, these natural wines are beautifully made, clear and focused with great attention to detail. The terroir here includes the alluvial terraces of the Lot Valley that are rich in siliceous, with clay, and limestone soils and plenty of Southwestern sunshine. Cahors, an ancient almost forgotten region in France’s almost feral Southwest, as mentioned, (is) mostly known for rustic old school Malbecs, is seeing a Renaissance with many amazing new generation winemakers and wines that have taken this historic area to new levels of quality and excitement. If you want to see what Cahors can be, I suggest exploring Mas Del Perie, this Jouves & Croisille label, and the rare and exotic wines of Emmanuel Rybinski’s lineup of Clos Troteligotte, they are quite revolutionary, joyfully proud and delicious! It’s good to see the rise in Cahors, which once supplied the Roman armies with dark and powerful black wines, which legend has it aided in their conquest and was a reward for their many victories! This Côt à Côt Malbec, especially in vintages like this one, really impressed me and it is a fabulous value too!
($24 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive