Le Petit Clos 2006 from Clos Triguedina in Cahors -The Region’s Most Respected Estate

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  Jean-Luc Baldes,
the master winemaker of
Clos Triguedina

From the birthplace of Malbec, its finest expression!

“It is impossible to separate Clos Triguedina from the name Cahors. Jean-Luc Baldes is a passionate grower possessed by true know-how and the determination to produce wines of great distinction…” -La Revue du Vin de France

Every time I serve Petit Clos at a tasting, it comes out way ahead of far more expensive wines. It’s a big wine for the price; vineyard owner Jean-Luc Baldes suggests a half hour of decanting before drinking.

The cepage is 80% Malbec and 20% Merlot. Petit Clos is aged partially in oak. There is severe selection and a green harvest in the vineyard. You will taste red fruits and some licorice.

Jean-Luc Baldes took over this Domaine in 1990 and has put this estate in the elite of Cahors growers. The Domaine is old, back to 1830. The name Clos Triguedina means “Longing to dine” in the ancient Occitane, and I can relate to that. There are few things better than a duck breast sizzling and a glass of Clos Triguedina.

It doesn’t hurt that Clos Triguedina has the best vineyards in Cahors; perfectly placed on the best terraces and the soil is clay limestone to drain and yet retain the water down near the roots where it’s needed. The wine is aged in one and two-year-old barrels.

For me, this is the wine you come upon after swilling a tsunami of humdrum juice and you set down your glass and say, “Okay, thank God, I’m done. I’ve found what I’m after.” This was pretty much what happened to me some years ago at a tasting in the south of France. I said, “Let’s get this stuff in a container and into my cellar!”

This wine has beguiling roundness and wonderful black and red fruits. Put something different in your glass tonight. Who knows where it may lead? Cynthia Hurley