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Château du Cèdre is located in the
village of Viré sur Lot, a little village with a long wine-making tradition
in the western part of the appellation Cahors. Established in 1956 by
Charles Verhaeghe, it is now owned by his two sons. Jean-Marc takes care of
the vineyard, while Pascal is the vintner, a perfect association.
The estate's 25 ha (23 ha in red, 2 ha in white) are situated on a
series of hills which are formed by the appellation's two best terroirs.
Half, is on a terroir locally named "Le Tran", a deep
clay-limestone soil full of stones. The vines' roots can make their way
deep between these stones, which play also a role in the hydric and thermic
regulation. The other terroir (thus the second half of the estate) is
mainly composed of pebbles mixed with reddish iron-bearing sands on top,
and mixed with clay and flint in the sub-soil.
Because Château du Cèdre has been gifted with such a terroir, it's
evident to the owners that it has to be treated with utmost respect. The
vines are severly pruned and don't receive any fertilizer. The yield is
controlled vine by vine and maturity is watched carefully, so the vintner
is able to reveal the whole potential of the Malbec variety (called Cot in the region).
Traditional methods and modern equipment are the two watchwords that
rule the vinification in order to obtain the best quality. The grapes are
gently crushed and entirely destemmed, after a manual sorting. The
fermentation is precisely monitored with high-tech equipment; maceration is
rather long in order to have a slow and smooth extraction, respectful of
the fruit and of the vintage's characteristics.
These wines, strong and black like all Cahors wines, are pleasant with roasted meats, game,
foie gras and strong cheeses.
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