HÉRITAGE AGRITOURISME FAMILLE TERROIR Wine is an invitation to travel. Bertrand-Gabriel Vigouroux Georges, Bertrand-Gabriel and Charles Vigouroux Maison Georges Vigouroux A Family saga with a main theme, the production of black wine in Occitanie For four generations, the “black wine” has been flowing through theVigouroux family’s veins. If the passing down of winemaking know-how is important in viticulture, the passion for Malbec is even more remarkable in heredity, guiding the family since 1887 on the historic Cahors vineyards and beyond, in search of a terroir/grape variety symbiosis. Owners of 4 prestigious wineries in Occitanie, the Vigouroux family are the specialists in France when it comes to producing Malbec wines. With focus on the black wine since 1887, their Chateaux offer various styles of wines, from the plateau to the different terraces… A know-how practiced for several generations and an expertise in the Malbec grape variety, historic chateaux, a growing brands, a qualitative distribution, completed by an exceptional agritourism offer, Bertrand-Gabriel Vigouroux is open to the world, striving to preserve his roots and regional values. Crushing stones at Château de Haute-Serre when re-planting The Cahors vineyard is considered as 1887: Germain Vigouroux, the 1950-1960: Georges Vigouroux, the one of the oldest in Europe, and could Black Wine pioneer visionary be at least 2000 years old. Much appreciated from the beginning, it While the vineyard was almost Cahors black wine had just obtained rose during the 12th century with destroyed by phylloxera in the 1880s, its VDQS appellation in 1951, when the English, boosted by the marriage Germain Vigouroux, fourth son of Georges Vigouroux, the grandson, of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry Jean Vigouroux, a farmer and a joined the family business in 1954, Plantagenet. small winemaker in the Lot region, and as a young visionary, undertook It reached its peak in 1310 with left the family property to open the the appropriate changes by setting a production of 850,000 hl, first business premises selling black up the company into bottling sector. representing 50% of exports from wine on the major Gramat trading the Port of Bordeaux. place, offering wines to restaurants 1971: Georges Vigouroux, the wine- in North of the department. maker In 1971, Cahors, only 440 hectares 1925: Gabriel Vigouroux takes over at the time, obtained the AOC appellation. Georges Vigouroux Gabriel Vigouroux, the eldest son chose this year to start the viticulture was automatically infatuated by business by starting to replant the his father’s business and bitten Château de Haute-Serre, a former by the black wine bug. He took vineyard of the Cahors Mountain, up the compagny. He developed derelict since being infected by the traditional shipments in 300l phylloxera. barrels and quarter-barrels; and Today, over 40 years later, 58 ha have transformed the family business into been planted on the Haute-Serre the most important wine business of hillside, which at one point seemed the region. lost forever to any vine culture forever. The Cahors appellation has Winter 1986-1987: digging the soil of Château de Mercuès winery under the château’s garden increased its production area tenfold, The 2000s: from French terroirs to Nowadays many winemakers having followed the Argentinian bodegas Georges Vigouroux’s wine tourism impulse given by Georges Vigouroux. has given way to Bertrand Gabriel’s It was during this period that the Bertrand-Gabriel explored the agro-tourism, promoting tradition Cahors wine acquired its reputation. Malbec grape variety all the way to and devoted to enhance regional In the early 1980s, Georges Vigouroux Argentina and the Mendoza vineyard. products: Malbec, truffles, and bought the Château de Mercuès a From 2008 to 2011, always sensitive saffron. As a confirmed locavore, Quercy architectural gem and a Relais to the future of Malbec, he made Bertrand-Gabriel Vigouroux explores & Châteaux hotel-restaurant since numerous investments in the and experiments the Malbec terroirs: the 1950s, and embarked on a new Château de Haute-Serre and Château from Quercy to Argentinian bodegas, adventure: wine tourism. de Mercuès, including environment meetings, reconciliations skills and friendly systems. expertise motivate his quest. Driven The 1990s: the founding union of two «La Table de Haute-Serre», a by a common passion he focuses with generations “bistronomic” restaurant set among his colleague Paul Hobbs, famous for the barrels, was created in the his great wines or creating «haute Bertrand-Gabriel Vigouroux joined estate cellar, featuring the much- couture cuvées», custom-made from the company relocated to Cahors, loved grape variety in a flawless and exceptional vine parcels, as revealed subsequently the concept of «Atrium» authentic setting. with the «Icône» collection. was launched: cellar shops to highlight the wines from Southwest France and its regional products. Malbec Under the Skin Cot, Malbec or Auxerrois are the three designations to describe a unique grape. With its round blistered leaf, its airy cluster and black skin, Malbec has a quality potential in France and abroad that Bertrand-Gabriel Vigouroux has always believed in. From Cahors to the Mendoza vineyard in Argentina through the Buzet vineyard, the grape is as polymorphic as polychrome, embracing a multitude of colours, providing an infinite palette of flavours. A chameleon difficult to work that the Vigouroux family was able to master on its native soil, its adoptive soil, and its unsuspected terroirs of predilection. A black wine named ... desire The sacred union at the foot of the Andes In the Lot valley and on the plateaux, almost anything valuable is black: The latest vineyard of Mendoza, red wine, renamed by the British in Argentina: authentic terroir of the Middle Ages as «black wine» but adoption of Malbec, since the also truffle, an aroma that is found in introduction of the grape by French the Malbecs. agronomist Michel Pouget in 1868. A parched land on which this Cahors The Malbec’s distinguishing vine expresses itself perfectly. feature? In love with the vine history, Its ability to synthesize in large passionate about its aromatic power amounts anthocyanins, the natural and deep black colour for over 30 pigments of red wine. An eccentricity years, Bertrand-Gabriel Vigouroux allowing the Malbec to have a wide has made it his leitmotiv, exploring range of colours, offering a palette the French and Argentina vineyards consisting of rich blacks, deep in search of an ideal grape variety/ reds, intense purples, and powerful terroir symbiosis. As a qualified violets. winemaker and oenologist, he is continuing his father’s work with the The original Malbec hereditary passion of Malbec in the Grown in Quercy since Roman times, family album. Striving for excellence, Malbec is the “King” of the Cahors Paul Hobbs, architect of great rare appellation, covering a minimum of wines, is now working on the family 70% of the vineyards. vineyards. The AOC/AOP Cahors appellation differs from its counterparts in Southwest France by its liveliness. The Cahors Malbec achieves its unique personality and surprising longevity from its balance between tannins and acidity. Bertrand-Gabriel Vigouroux, Malbec expert Château de Haute-Serre The Origin of Malbec Neighbouring the Laburgade saffron fields, a few kilometres from Lalbenque, famous capital of the Tuber Melanosporum black truffle, stands the Château de Haute-Serre. A sun-drenched spot in the early hours of the day, with rich red clay stony ground, and a Southwest and Southeast exposure: an ideal terroir for growing Malbec. A gourmet break on the wine route, a meeting place for oenophiles, Château de Haute-Serre is a site dedicated to agritourism: “bistronomie” in the winery, vineyard tours, tasting workshops, harvesting workshops, and cooking courses based on theme sequences, are available. Gala menu in 1889 Christ’s holy headgear A mythical vineyard As of 1989, Bertrand-Gabriel Vigouroux was committed to improve Witness of an epic past, the Château the work undertaken by his father. vineyard already existed in the Middle Uncompromising technical approach Ages, property of the Abbey Lagarde and selected choices were those of Dieu in Tarn-et-Garonne. It used to excellence: high-density replanting cover some 1000 hectares. In 1580, development, a policy of sustainable an old woman found the Christ’s holy culture (green harvest, lower yields) headgear in the garbage, thrown and a high environmental value away by the Huguenots during certification in process. the looting of the cathedral Saint- Etienne. Geron Dadine de Haute-Serre Our wines, a call for elegance bought it against wheat and got it out of the town of Cahors on June 4th The emblematic Haute-Serre vineyard hiding it to the estate. Never losing is a one hundred hectares estate. sight of its winemaking vocation, Located on the kimmeridgian plateau the Château de Haute-Serre and its of Cahors, their clay, limestone vineyard were on a gala menu in 1889 and rubble terroir culminating at alongside Château Margaux and 300 meters in altitude, enables the various Pommard wines. However it Malbec to express itself with all the did not escape the phylloxera in the intensity and richness of its unique late Nineteenth Century: completely aromas! Château Haute¬Serre destroyed, it was derelict in the offers unusual wines, of great class, Causse de Cahors wild vegetation for distinguished by their silky tannins, nearly a century. their exceptional sharpness, and their ability to please its consumer. Intense crimson hues, dominant A wine estate combining nose of vanilla, fruit and violet: these technics and aesthetics wines are delightfully structured. Intense and elegant tannins offer an In 1975, Georges Vigouroux finally endless finish. brought the vineyards out from the shadows. The first harvest of Château de Haute-Serre took place after a five years land rehabilitation work. Christine Vigouroux Christine Vigouroux Allan Duplouich La Table de Haute-Serre: a tonic and creative “bistronomie” rewarded BIB gourmand by the famous guide Michelin.