GEORGES VIGOUROUX, CHÂTEAU DE MERCUÈS CAHORS
CAHORS, FRANCE 2016
In sports, one player can make all the difference, particularly if that player is a transcendent talent who can make even average teammates look like gamers, and, sometimes, even Hall-of-Famers.
It’s no different in the wine world, where hugely in-demand consultants, the superstars of their industry, can turn around a previously unheralded estate, or even lift the reputation of an entire varietal.
Paul Hobbs has done both. A consultant arguably without rival, Hobbs was instrumental to the success of Mondavi's Opus One, and Robert Parker twice named him Wine Personality of the Year.
Among Hobbs’s many brilliant accomplishments is his work with Malbec — most notably with Nicolas Catena Zapata, for which he was widely regarded as having put Argentina on the map, but also Château de Mercuès, in the heart of Cahors, for which he has been consulting since 2009.
Though long regarded as a poor relation of Bordeaux, its more celebrated neighbor, Cahors has enjoyed something of a renaissance over the past fifteen years, and perhaps no winery has done more to elevate its profile, and that of Old World Malbec, than Château de Mercuès.
We've been fans for years, and the 2016 vintage delivers everything we want from a Malbec.
Roger Voss, of Wine Enthusiast, echoes our enthusiasm. In a 92-point review, he called it “powerful and dense, packed with tannins that are slowly melding with the black-plum fruits. Its structure will allow this wine to age well.”
This could easily describe nearly all of the vintages Mercuès has been putting out since Hobbs came aboard. Fruit-forward and with softer tannins, they are remarkable for their agility and finesse, while sacrificing little of their intensity and size.
Perhaps the biggest change Hobbs made was to create a vine density closer to that of the great wines of the Medoc in Bordeaux — 6666 vines per hectare. This, together with the silty clay the region is known for, brings opulence and structure.
You'll want to sit with this one for a while, luxuriating in all the black fruit and licorice on the nose and the currants, chocolate and blackberry that explode on the palate. This is a wine of great density and concentration, but also, and blessedly, great balance. The finish, as in all Hobbs wines, is long and seamless.
Mercuès has helped us, and many others, rediscover the rich potential of Cahors, and if you have yet to experience the power, drinkability, and value for yourself of these wines, now's the time.
We're offering this deal for the next week only, so act fast and stock up!
*This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Spring 2022. With the supply chain issues that we are seeing globally, there may be some unforeseen delays which could affect the ETA. All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. Offer not valid in IL, MA, MI, NY, and TN. This offer is for ONE WEEK, or until sold out, and will expire on Thursday, February 17, 2022.
