GC (Grand Cahors?; Grand Cèdre; Grand Cru or J’essaie (I try)? - Pascal Verhaeghe does not give too many clues as to what the two letters GC stand for - What we know is that it is the most profound, racy multilayered yet remarkably fresh and balanced Malbec we've ever tasted. 100% Malbec in 100% new oak. A selection from the best parcels and the healthiest grapes The wine is fermented, then macerated for 40 days in opened 500l barrels. It is then matured for 30 months in the very same barrels which have been subsequently closed.
This wine has the built of a great Burgundy, only a few notches up in structure, texture and intensity of flavours. Ink black in colour, the nose is an explosion of small black berries, seeds, minerals and violet. Layers upon layers of unctuous and creamy fruit are followed by complex notes of smoke, game and minerals. Despite its massive structure and rich texture, the wine expresses itself with rare eloquence and its flavours seem to linger forever.
CHÂTEAU DU CÈDRE, Vire sur Lot Biodynamic
Pascal and Jean-Marc Verhaeghe form one of the most passionate, hard-working and skilled team of winegrowers we have ever come across. The work of Jean-Marc consists of growing, biodynamicaly close-to-perfect grapes in the vineyards, while Pascal meticulously transforms these grapes into arguably, the greatest Malbec wines to be found anywhere.
The 27-ha vineyard is planted on 3 parcels, the first consists of calcareous-clay soils, very
stony on the surface, the other two are covered with rolled stones and the subsoils are made of layers of sands with trace of iron followed by silica and clay.
Numerous passages are made in the vineyard to ensure the perfect health, quality and ripeness of the grapes, and all the work is carried by hand as, since 1992, no chemicals have been used. The research of quality is pushed so far that almost each vine receives a special attention.
In the winery, Pascal vinifies the harvest in tanks and foudres, the wines are then matured in 225l or 500l barrels. The use of oak is carefully weighted, each vintage requires different actions, the aim is to produce Burgundy-type wines, that reflects both their terroir and their specific vintage.
Over the years, Pascal has made numerous trials and innovations in order to unleash the ultimate potential of Malbec grapes grown on the soils of Cahors, and the last few vintages have brought Château du Cedre up amongst the very best wineries of the World.
Decanter February 2012 ‘Top 10 French Estate for value’