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American Wine Society - Cincinnati Chapter |
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Cahors and the Lot River Vallery |
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Author Pama Mitchell and her husband George Bishopham it up amid Malbec grapes almost ready for harvest at Clos Triguedina.
Cahors and the Lot River Valley
By Pama Mitchell (originally printed in AWS Journal)
Exploring a little-known appellation in France
It wasn't in our travel plans for 2005, but thanks to a few lucky breaks, in September we found ourselves in a beautiful but out-of-the-way region of France that celebrates good wine and great food but receives few American tourists. Last winter my husband and I received an open invitation to visit a country inn in rural southwest France owned by a Cincinnati couple of our acquaintance. But we had no near-term prospects of crossing the Atlantic until my husband had the opportunity to deliver a research paper at a professional conference to be held in Cannes. Fortunately, the innkeepers were able to accommodate us for several days prior to the conference. Off we went to explore what Parisians sometimes call la France profonde, which roughly translates as “deep France.”
The inn in question, Domaine du Haut Baran, is located about 20 miles west of the small city of Cahors, which astute wine lovers will recognize as an appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) for its distinctive Malbec-based red wines. Sure enough, our friends at Haut Baran confirmed that their country retreat is nestled in the middle of about 10,000 acres of vineyards housing nearly 200 small and medium-sized wineries. Innkeeper William Haas, born and raised in Cincinnati but with a large part of his extended family from the Cahors area, offered to arrange visits to several wineries that he deemed among the best in the region.
By coincidence, a small group on a food and wine tour of southwest France
happened to be staying at Haut Baran during several days that we would be there, and these folks also happened to be from Cincinnati. The unofficial leader of the gourmet group was the Belgian-born, retired chef (for 23 years) of Cincinnati’s five-star Maisonette restaurant, Georges Haidon. We had never met Chef Haidon, but were somewhat in awe of his reputation and thrilled at the prospect of tagging along with him and his friends seeking some of the best dining experiences in the Lot River Valley. (The chef turned out to be a personable, friendly man whose company was one of the highlights of the trip.)
Despite the rural character of the Lot Valley, the Lot département (a French geographic designation that’s somewhere between a county and a state) actually has more starred Michelin restaurants per capita than any other département. So before we boarded the plane from JFK to Nice and subsequent trains to Cahors, we knew to expect a first-rate gastronomic extravaganza.
The seven-room country inn outside the picturesque village of Puy l’Evêque is a perfect home base for couples or small groups to sample the wines and cuisine of the Cahors appellation. For our visit our hosts had rented a nine-seat van to squire us around. William had picked up the other Cincinnati guests of “the Baran” (as he and Rosalie often referred to it) at the airport in Bordeaux, where the group spent five days of wining and dining before returning to the quieter home base, 120 miles east of the famed châteaux of the Bordelais.
William met us at the train station in Cahors and whisked us back to settle into our lovely room at the Baran, all the while pointing out sights and sharing information about the countryside and villages we passed. Even though William grew up in Cincinnati, he spent a lot of time here during his childhood and youth. He speaks French fluently and is extremely knowledgeable about everything to do with the Quercy/Lot area. “Nobody [from the U.S.] knows more about this region than I do,” he joked to us one day, and after spending the better part of the week with William as our tour guide, we know that was no empty boast.
At Domaine du Haut Baran, William and Rosalie specialize in arranging small group tours for people of varying interests, such as cycling, gardening, painting and spiritual renewal—and, of course, food and wine. Room rates start at $175 per night including a generous breakfast for two. Go to their website at www.hautbaran.com to sample tour itineraries and see photos of the grounds and rooms.
Fine dining, home and away  | On our first evening with the gourmet group, William drove about 25 minutes from the Baran so we could dine at the elegant Le Gindreau on the outskirts of the small town of St. Médard. It’s remarkable by American standards to see high-end restaurants thriving in tiny villages a couple of hours from the nearest commercial airport, but that certainly is the case in France. We were greeted warmly at Le Gindreau and seated in the front dining room, a space beautifully appointed in rich yellow and pink tones and enhanced by large picture windows. | 
| Our new friend, Chef Haidon of Maisonette fame, selected the wines for the meal, dazzling our palates with a Billecart-Salmon rosé Champagne followed by two stunning Rhône wines—a Condrieu (100 percent Viognier) and a Côte Rôtie, one of the planet’s best patches of earth for the Syrah grape. The delicious meal emphasized many regional delicacies, such as magret de canard, foie gras de canard, white (summer) truffles, baby lamb and local fish. |
It wasn’t much more than 12 hours later that we found ourselves at another
fabulous restaurant for lunch. We had spent the morning sightseeing with William as our guide, visiting the now famous village Les Arques, subject of Michael Sanders’ book, From Here You Can’t See Paris (more on that later) and then stopping for a tour of a watermill dating to the 14th century that still produces flour. Rather breathlessly, we arrived at Château de la Treyne a few minutes late for our 1 p.m. reservation. La Treyne is an inn and restaurant that sits high on a bluff overlooking the Dordogne River.  La Treyne
We were dazzled by a lunch at La Treyne that was even more spectacular than our previous night’s dinner. What we remember best about it was all the extras the kitchen piled on—not just a small amuse-bouche, but four different pre-appetizer morsels for each person, with the same treatment of four different post-dessert sweet treats per person. And then with coffee, they offered rich, buttery Madeleine cookies. Ou, la la! We joked that we could have eaten a complete meal without having ordered anything. With lunch we drank Champagne, followed by a white Burgundy and a red Bordeaux. For more on this restaurant and inn, go to: www.chateaudelatreyne.com.
What was left of the afternoon included a little more sightseeing and then the ride back to the Baran for a short rest before the next meal. This was getting to be a challenge, but the group sucked it up and soldiered on. Our dinner reservation was at the now quite renowned La Recreation, focus of From Here You Can’t See Paris. Michael Sanders, an American writer living in Maine, rented a house in tiny Les Arques, where he lived with his wife and young daughter for a year, studying the rhythms of a rural, struggling village that had been losing population for a century. Les Arques was making a comeback, however, thanks to the establishment of a small artists’ colony and the growing fame of its lone commercial establishment, the restaurant known locally by its nickname, La Recre.  Chef and hosts of Le Recreation | |  Lobster Ravioli |
My husband had read the book over the summer and asked William and Rosalie to include a meal at La Recre during our visit. After the haute cuisine of our previous couple of meals, the food and wine at this smaller establishment was more representative of the way most local people and tourists usually dine. La Recre—owned by Chef Jacques Ratier and his wife, Noelle— was complet (fully booked) on this particular Monday evening, a night that was too cool for dining on the patio. We enjoyed a regional aperitif called Fenelon—La Recre’s version adds a touch of crème de cassis to the standard mixture of Cahors red wine and l’eau de noix (walnut liqueur, made from the local walnut crop that is one of the region’s specialties). Jacques’ lobster ravioli in a delicate cream sauce was a standout dish, served with the local Clos Triguedina Vin de Lune, a dry vin de pays that is 50 percent Viognier and 50 percent Chardonnay.
With bursting stomachs, we looked forward to the next day’s itinerary of eating at the Baran and touring wineries within a ten-minute drive of home base. A day of eating at home—and such a home—would also give our bodies a much needed break from long rides in the van and our credit cards a break from some very expensive meals.
Crash course in Cahors wines
We awoke to a gloriously sunny day and a post-breakfast jaunt to the weekly open-air market in Puy l’Évêque where we shopped for lunch and dinner supplies. Rosalie and Chef Haidon were planning to collaborate on dinner at the Baran, and the perfect weather also called for a déjeuner on the inn’s gorgeous terrace. Rosalie remarked that the market wasn’t as large in mid- September as it had been only a couple of weeks ago, but we still found many wonderful treats, such as freshly dried but very moist pitted prunes, super-sweet late summer strawberries and an enormous loaf of crusty multigrain French bread.
As soon as we got our goodies back home, William hustled my husband and me off to our appointment for a tour and tasting at Domaine du Théron a few miles east of the Baran in the Prayssac sub-valley. Domaine du Théron comprises about 30 acres of rolling hills planted with predominately Malbec vines. Théron produces three wines: Tradition (90 percent Malbec, 10 percent Merlot), a prestige bottling called Le Théron, which is 100 percent Malbec, and in exceptional vintage years a vin de qualité, also 100 percent Malbec.  Domaine Du Théron
One of the winemakers, Henri Jean Crassat, met us at their imposing main building that included an expansive, well-lit reception area and tasting bar. Before we tried any of the wines, however, Henri Jean talked about the characteristics of the Malbec grape, a “thick-skinned, dark-juiced grape that stains your teeth,” and explained the qualities of the soil on the various terraces of Théron’s vineyards. He showed us the modern facilities where the wines are macerated, aged and blended. We finished our visit with a vertical tasting of four vintages of the prestige bottling, Le Théron, 1999–2002, from oldest to youngest. As we sampled the wines our host explained that while young Cahors wines are deep purple, as they age the wines often take on brick-red tones. This was evident in the 1999 vintage, a slightly over-oaked bottling with tannins that were still quite strong. A hallmark of many of the best Cahors wines is this tannic quality and a structure that makes them age well. The 2000 Le Théron had less wood and more fruit in the nose and on the palate and we found it an exceptionally well-balanced wine from one of the top Cahors vintages of the past decade. According to my notes, the 2001 had strong tannins and a lingering oaky finish, while I preferred the 2002—also tannic and obviously quite young, but with more structure than the ’01 and suggesting good aging potential.
We bought a couple of bottles of the 2000 Le Théron—not more, alas, because we were traveling by train and could not carry a lot of wine. Domaine du Théron is a classy outfit that produces some remarkable wines, but as of late 2005 the proprietors had lost their American importer and were seeking a replacement.
After the most delightful lunch on the terrace at the Baran, William took us to our afternoon appointment at Clos Triguedina, owned and operated by one of three winemaking families featured in Michael Sanders’ second book about life in the Lot Valley, Families of the Vine. Since I had enjoyed reading that book just prior to our leaving the States, I was especially looking forward to meeting vigneron Jean-Luc Baldès and seeing the property. (As I found out later, you actually can see some of Clos Triguedina’s hillside vineyards from the front terrace at the Baran.)
Sure enough, the courtyard surrounded by modern wine barns and the family’s 1830 stone farmhouse— home to seven generations of Baldès winemakers—leapt to life from the pages of Sanders’ book. “The buildings and vineyards sit on the top of another of the small hills that the river formed long ago,“ Sanders writes. “One hundred fifteen acres of vines on some of the highest and best land for grapes in the whole appellation, and with spectacular vistas over the miles of vineyards to the river some miles distant.”  Jean-Luc Baldes | Almost immediately upon our arrival, Jean-Luc took us into the vineyards, heavy with grapes only a couple of weeks before harvest. He showed us his oldest as well as his newest plantings, described his pruning techniques and then led us back to the cool confines of his tasting room for a sampling. Triguedina produces a wider range of wines than most other Cahors winemakers—not just AOC reds (which legally can contain only Malbec, Merlot and/or Tannat) but also white, rosé and sweet vins de pays under the label Vin de Lune. While we did sample the white and finished with dessert wine, his AOC reds—all of which spend some time in oak—clearly are the stellar choices and generally are the only Triguedina wines to be exported. |
These reds include the premium 100 percent Malbec Probus (aged for two years in new French oak), which Baldès calls “our marquee wine, our best,” and Clos Triguedina, which is about 80–85 percent Malbec blended with Merlot and “a tiny bit of Tannat.” We enjoyed tasting a couple of vintages of each of these and found the 2000 Probus excellent, but we were even more impressed when he poured some of his 2000 New Black Wine (he uses the English words on the label), a stunningly rich, fruit-forward Malbec produced from the property’s oldest vines. We bought only one bottle, at 30 euros or about $35, hoping to find
some of it back in the States. Baldès says that Triguedina wines are currently available in four states including Illinois and Minnesota, but my Internet searches for stateside places to buy New Black Wine so far have come up empty.
Relaxation in the French countryside
That evening William and Rosalie threw a farewell party for the gourmet group that had arrived a few days before us. After Kir Royale cocktails and broiled bacon-wrapped prune canapés on the terrace, 11 of us sat down in the candlelit dining room for a grand meal accompanied by wines from several regions of France including Alsace, Bordeaux and, of course, Cahors.
We had one more day at the Baran, which we spent in as leisurely manner as possible. While William drove the group to Bordeaux to catch their flights home and Rosalie tidied up the Baran, my husband George and I spent several hours in the Lot Valley village of Prayssac shopping for a few regional delicacies and having an unhurried lunch at Le Vidal, the town’s centrally located hotel-restaurant where dozens of locals and a few other tourists dined outdoors under a wide canopy. After Rosalie fetched us in mid-afternoon, we finally got some “toes up” time at the Baran—relaxing in the outdoor hot tub, followed by the most delicious half-hour stretched out in the twin hammocks under a couple of old trees overlooking the Baran’s pasture land.
At dinner time we had the chance to have William and Rosalie to ourselves at one of Puy l’Évêque’s gathering places, a hotel-restaurant called Henry. We sat outdoors behind the main dining room surrounded by vinecovered walls as we munched on the inexpensive menu du jour and shared a bottle of nine-year-old Clos de Gamot.
As I drifted off to sleep that night in our comfy room, I felt ready to just go on home because it seemed that nothing could improve on these few days. Of course, we took our train to Cannes for George’s conference and enjoyed that city’s own very different charms. Since our return, we’ve been incessantly singing the praises of the Lot Valley, Cahors wines and Domaine du Haut Baran, all of which we heartily recommend to adventurous wine lovers as they plan future winefriendly vacations.
Trying the wines of Cahors
In recent years Argentina has made a splash in the international wine market with some very good Malbecs. As part of our Cincinnati AWS chapter tasting schedule for 2006, we are proposing an Old World vs. New World Malbec tasting. We hope to do a blind comparison of several bottles of Cahors Malbecs with the same number of Argentinean wines. The only problem we foresee is finding enough different Cahors wines to match up against the many Argentina Malbecs available in our market. But the best way to try Cahors wines is to visit the region. Domaine du Haut Baran is the ideal size and location for small to medium groups to
use as a base, and the innkeepers can arrange tours of the wineries. For 2006, Haut Baran has added special wine and food tours—some with author Michael Sanders centering on visits to the wineries featured in Families of the Vine, plus another set of tours involving cooking classes led by Chef Jacques Ratier of La Recreation. For details, check: www.hautbaran.com
Room rates (including breakfast) at Haut Baran are surprisingly reasonable, and the cost per room goes down if you book three or more rooms— perfect for a group of wine-lovers! To inquire about availability or get more information than you find on their website, you can leave a telephone message on their stateside telephone number 513-533-0511 and someone from the Baran will call you back—or call the Baran directly at 011 33 565 246324.
Finding Cahors wines in the U.S.
Many large wine shops carry one or two examples of Cahors wines, or your favorite wine merchant should be able to order some from distributors. The following websites also have at least a couple of Cahors wines for sale online: www.wineChateau.com, www.samswine.com. The price in the U.S. of most Cahors wines ranges between $15 and $30 a bottle, though you may find merchants with older or more premium bottles that could go for up to $50.
A Cahors Inspiration Domaine du Haut Baran designed the original of the following recipe to accompany the “black wines” of Cahors—or other Malbec-based wines— and it features one of the Lot region’s most prolific crops, dried plums, known better to us as prunes. The meat would be ideal to serve with an AWS chapter tasting of these wines but also great on the menu of a special company dinner. | Prune Stuffed Pork RoastInspired by Domaine du Haut Baranadapted by Jean Moulton (AWS Editor) |  | 1 boned pork loin roast (3–4 pounds)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, approximately
Salt and pepper to taste
15 pitted prunes, halved (use more 1 if needed)
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup prune preserves
1/2 cup whipping cream | Rub pork roast with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Make evenly spaced incisions into top (fat-side) of roast and insert prunes in the incisions. (Think of serving sizes when making slashes as the roast will be sliced between them for serving.) On top of range in large iron skillet or heavy roasting pan, sear roast on all sides, starting with fat side, on high heat. Slip rack under roast in skillet or roasting pan. Fat side with prunes inserted should be on top. Roast in preheated 300-degree oven until a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees at
the roast’s center away from any slit. Remove roast from pan to a platter; cover with foil and keep warm. Move pan to top of range and add wine to drippings. Simmer at mediumlow
heat to reduce the sauce by half, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Whisk in prune preserves. Reduce heat to low and add cream; simmer, stirring almost constantly for about 3 minutes. Remove foil and carve pork into serving slices between the prune slashes. Ladle sauce generously onto slices or pass sauce and let guests serve themselves. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Note: Whipped potatoes and butter-cooked julienne carrots make good accompaniment. @
JANE MOULTON |
of communication at the University of Cincinnati,
a freelance travel and food writer and a member of the Cincinnati chapter of the AWS.
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AWS Calendar |
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August 2008 |
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