Mas de Périé is run by the young Fabien Jouves and located on the Haut Plateau south west of Cahors in Trespoux Rassiels. The soil here is complex clay and Quercy Limestone, a brilliant white tufo style limestone that is soft and very permeable. There are incidences of gravel here and there and this serves to produce wines with more immediacy and freshness. The theme continues but there are also areas of Sidérolithique, a complex blend of sand, chalk, clay, and mineral. Where this can be found, so the wines develop more complex deeper tones. The vines are managed along biodynamique principles. The fruit is handpicked and selected at the winery prior to ferment in inert oak and concrete depending on the cuvée and maceration is usually by pigeage for around 30 days. The resulting wines are neither filtered or fined, and Fabien’s 5 years in Bordeaux have lent him the skill to manage the tannins extremely well.

The wines have two distinct characteristics. First they are as pure as can be, with a direct expression of the terroir and variety, holding focus and balance whilst still portraying the classic deep inky Cahors style. Second, these wines are drinkable. I know this sounds a little basic, but they have freshness, life and restraint. They will age, for sure, but to drink them now is no chore. How many Cahors can you say that of?