Château Haut Monplaisir Cahors Prestige 2020
This selection of superior parcels from the estate is an intense, vivid take on Cahors. It combines a modern style of supple black fruit with a whisper of oak and then the characteristic firmness of structure on the finish.
The vineyards of Château Haut-Monplaisir lie just south of the River Lot, on the third of the three alluvial terraces that rise above the river. This third terrace is composed of clay-flint soil covered in galets (large stones), and is generally considered the best of the numerous Cahors terroirs. Yield has been reduced from 170 hectolitres per hectare in the bad old days to a maximum of fifty under the new regime. Since 2009, the vineyards have been in conversion to organic viticulture.
The grapes were hand-sorted, destemmed and crushed, and then fermented at 27-28ºC in stainless steel tanks with twice-daily punching-down. After a 25-30 day maceration, the wine was racked to barrel (one third new oak) for twenty months' maturation. It was bottled without filtration.
