Valerie Courreges Malbec VDF 2020 20L

Valérie Courrèges

Wine: Malbec VdF

Region: Cahors

Grape: Malbec

Colour: Red

Alcohol: 12%

Size: 20L

Fruit-forward and bright with rustic spice, typical of French Malbec. The fruit is grown in Quercy, just on the outskirts of Cahors, and farmed organically and biodynamically. 

Producer

Valérie wants to make wines like her Grandad did - firmly rooted in their sense of place and authenticity. A native of South-West France, she caught the winemaking bug while helping in her Grandfather's winery in Ossun. Initially studying chemistry at university, the bug bit again, and she changed to a winemaking degree. The winemaking path took her to California and Chile before returning to her homeland, where she now heads up the winemaking at Chateau Fontainebleau, Provence.  In 2019 Valérie purchased 22 hectares of wild gravely vineyards in Cahors with her husband, Mathieu Cosse; they immediately began converting the farming to biodynamic principles.

Farming and Winemaking

From a second plot, farmed biodynamically by Valérie in Coteaux de Quercy, just on the edge of Cahors. Malbec from red marl soils, typical of the Coteaux du Quercy and labelled as a Vin de France. Each parcel is fermented separately with native yeasts in concrete vats. To balance the natural power of Cahors Malbec, Valérie keeps her extractions gentle with only minimal punch down and long, slow fermentation. The wines are aged in concrete vats and see no fining or filtering.