Cahors enjoyed a great reputation in antiquity, and was served to guests at the wedding of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II in 1152. The wine was exported throughout Europe on ships sailing from Bordeaux. The phylloxera epidemic in the 1880’s, however, devastated the vineyards; and a late frost in 1956 killed off the few surviving vineyards. After Cahors was replanted in the late 1950s, much of the wine produced could best be described as rustic and industrial. Recently, however, a new generation of winemakers has been elevating the quality and reputation of Cahors.
Prominent among this new breed are Maya Salée, 29, and Nicolas Fernandez, 32, a young couple who together farm and vinify their 7 ha. Domaine La Calmette. Situated in Trespoux-Rassiels, on the edge of a 340m-high limestone plateau in Cahors, the estate is organic and biodynamic, recently certified by Demeter.
Maya and Nicolas are deeply committed to their vocation as vignerons. They maintain that being a vigneron is not a profession but, much like being a priest, is a way of life. Their goal is to attain perfect technical knowledge as a means of achieving the freedom to ultimate creativity. Their role model is Picasso, who mastered academic design to permit artistic deconstruction as a means to pure artistic expression.
● COUNTRY
● France
● REGION
● Southwest
● APPELLATION
● Cahors
● WINEMAKERS
● Maya Salée & Nicolas Fernandez
● FOUNDED
● N/A
● VINEYARD AREA
● 7 hectares
● FARMING
● Organic & Biodynamic
● WEBSITE
● N/A
