Appellation
Cahors
Identity card
RegionalAOPRed
South West France · Recognised on 15 April 1971
Key points
- Red only, from 45 communes of the Lot.
- Cot (Malbec): at least 70% of the vines and of the blend.
- Destemming compulsory; at most 50 hl/ha, at least 11.5% natural alcohol.
Grape varieties
Production rules
50
hl/ha
Maximum yield
11.5
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
4,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 1 March of the year after the harvest
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 67 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 12.5 % ABV across 63 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 75 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Soils: Limestone causses; alluvial terraces of the Lot valley
- Lie of the land: Lot meanders, hills up to about 300 m
- Climate: Oceanic, with continental and Mediterranean touches
Wine style
- deep colour when young
- red or black fruit
- spice
- tannins can be prominent
- truffle with age
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
24 October 2011
Décret n° 2011-1367 du 24 octobre 2011 relatif à l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Cahors » (JORF n°0250 du 27 octobre 2011, page 18151, texte n°36 ; cahier des charges publié au Bulletin officiel du ministère de l'agriculture n°43 du 28 octobre 2011), confirmé en vigueur par une lecture directe de sa page Légifrance consolidée au 27 septembre 2026. Appellation initialement reconnue par le décret du 15 avril 1971.
Sources
- Official sourceCahier des charges de l'appellation d'origine contrôlée « Cahors »— Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité (INAO) / Ministère de l'agriculture
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Reference bookWine Grapes: A Complete Guide to 1,368 Vine Varieties, Including Their Origins and Flavours— Allen Lane / Ecco (HarperCollins)
On the limestone hillsides and terraces of the Lot valley, the appellation of "black wine", reserved for still reds alone and built on Cot (Malbec), required to make up at least 70% of the blend. An almost exclusive principal variety, rounded out by Merlot and Tannat as accessories, for deeply coloured wines that gave the appellation its nickname.
Mini-challenge
Cahors
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