2004 Cahors Prestige

The 2004 Cahors Prestige – despite its name – represents the middle of Fournie’s line-up. (Her top cuvee transcends the price ceiling for this report.) Notes of cedar, brown spices, and sawdust signal the presence of more wood here, although the wine’s fundamental devotion to concentrated, ripe black fruits is never in doubt. At once firm yet fine-grained in texture, it stains the palate with cassis and blackberry, while finishing with more salinity and spice than smoke or pepperiness. The overall impression is more imposing than winsome, and suggests that this is a wine to cellar for at least 2-3 more years. With guidance from Pascal Verhaeghe, oenologist of the well-known Chateau du Cedre, proprietor Cathy Fournie has been able to bottle impressive successes from the revived terraces of Chateau Haut Monplaisir. Importer: Vintage 59, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 966 9812