Les Carrals du Château Quattre

Vines first arrived in Quercy with the invading Romans, over 2000 years ago. It wasn’t long before the region began producing wines so good they put their Italian counterparts to shame! The Emperor himself ordered the vines of Cahors to be ripped up in 92 AD, but the order was never carried out… Over a millennium later, the Hundred Years’ War put an end to what had been a long period of prosperity for the region: a decree of 1373 promoted the wines produced in the Bordeaux region by levying heavy taxes on those produced further inland, especially the wines of Cahors.

In spite of this discrimination the wines of Cahors retained their strong reputation, and were highly prized by some of history’s greatest figures: Francis 1st had ‘Cahors’ vines planted at his palace at Fontainebleau, and Tsar Peter the Great of Russia ordered the Russian Orthodox Church to use Cahors wine when celebrating communion. Beginning in 1865 a highly destructive microscopic aphid began wreaking havoc upon France’s vine stock: the famous Phylloxera blight. Twelve years later all of France’s vines were infected, and the vineyards of Cahors were completely destroyed. In 1947, a handful of winemakers founded the Parnac co-operative winery, with the aim of reviving the Malbec grape, the original Cahors variety. In 1971, with only 440 hectares of planted vines, Cahors was awarded AOC status.

Since that time the surface area of planted vines has multiplied tenfold. In the heart of Quattre, at the hamlet of CARRALS, two small parcels of land make up this estate’s vineyard. The terroir is exceptional: clay limestone over fractured red earth composed of ancient boulbène, all covered over with a layer of white pebbles. The estate also enjoys excellent sun exposure, and has been recognized as one of the finest terroirs in the Cahors appellation.