Cahors is a small town and red wine appellation in South West France, located 100 miles (160km) east of Bordeaux. In wine terms it is known for its deeply coloured reds made predominantly from Malbec (known locally as both Côt and Auxerrois), with small quantities of Tannat and Merlot. Interestingly, Cahors is the only red wine appellation in the South West that does not sanction the use of Cabernet Sauvignon or Franc.

Typical Cahors wine is darkly coloured and has a meaty, herb-tinged aroma, with hints of spiced black cherries and a whiff of cedar. Cahors is invariably tighter and leaner than the rich, opulent style of Malbec being made in the variety’s new-found home in Mendoza, Argentina.

Cahors lies roughly equidistant from both the Atlantic coast (to the west) and the Mediterranean coast (to the southeast). As a result, the climate here is subject to multiple influences: continental, maritime and Mediterranean.

Summer days are warmer and sunnier than in Bordeaux, making it easy for the local vignerons to achieve full phenolic ripeness in their grapes. This is important for Malbec and even more so for tannin-rich Tannat, which can be astringent if not properly ripened.

Rainfall here is significantly lower than on the Atlantic coast (780mm a year, compared with 930mm in Bordeaux). Consequently, the risk of fungal issues in the Cahors vineyards is quite low, minimizing the amount of disease-preventive spraying required.

The dry climate also means that vines experience slight hydric stress, forcing them to dig deep, strong root systems in search of water and also increasing the concentration of sugars and phenolic compounds in the grapes.