France · AOCs & IGPs
Sud-Ouest
A patchwork of rescued indigenous grapes and bold reds in Bordeaux's shadow.
Inland from Bordeaux, the South West is a refuge for grapes found almost nowhere else: inky Tannat in Madiran, dark Malbec in Cahors, the Mansengs of Jurançon and the great Gaillac region, bastion of forgotten old native and resistant grapes rebirth. Bold reds, distinctive sweet and dry whites, and a wealth of small organic estates reviving native varieties. ~47,000 ha.
There it's called Côt or Auxerrois.
ClimateOceanic to semi-continental; warm river valleys
Altitude50–400 m
Grapes
Côt (Malbec), Tannat, Gros Manseng, Petit Manseng, Négrette, Fer Servadou, Mauzac, Len de l'El
Soils
Clay-LimestoneGravelSandBoulbènes
Malbec's original home is Cahors, not Argentina.
