Mas del Périé

Fabien JOUVES comes from an old farming family in the Causse region. He became a winegrower in 2006 when he established Mas del Périé on the highest slopes of Cahors. Malbec (Cot) is the dominant grape variety there. The estate is situated at the junction of the Quercy and Cahors terroirs. Selecting specific plots was a natural choice to express the different facets of Malbec. This expression of the terroir is enhanced by biodynamic farming that respects life and the plant, as well as people and their environment. The grapes are vinified naturally in the cellar, without any oenological additives. The wine is aged to maturity in concrete vats, barrels and casks, depending on its character.

Biodynamic farming at Mas del Périé

Biodynamic agriculture was founded by Rudolf Steiner in 1924. It is based on an understanding of and respect for the forces of life. It encompasses the practices of organic farming, but also makes use of biodynamic preparations such as horn manure (500), horn silica (501) and Maria Thun’s manure compost. It also takes into account the various planetary and stellar rhythms. These preparations restructure and revitalise the soil, dramatically improving the vines’ root system, their resistance to disease and the flavour of the grapes. Fabien JOUVES has been practising biodynamics at Mas del Périé since 2011 (Demeter, Biodyvin). This has enabled him to produce more distinctive wines, reflecting their terroirs of origin and the winemaker’s emotions throughout the year.

Cahors, a wine appellation unique in the world

Fabien Jouves’ Mas del Périé is situated in the heart of the Cahors appellation, established in 1971. The Cahors AOP is reserved exclusively for red wines made from Malbec. Two secondary grape varieties are permitted under the appellation’s specifications: Tannat and Merlot, but Malbec must account for at least 70% of the blend. The vineyard stands out from its counterparts in the South-West thanks to its iconic grape variety, of which it is the birthplace: Malbec. Another distinctive feature of the vineyard is its great diversity of terroirs, enabling its winegrowers to produce ‘original’ Malbecs. But even more than that, it is the winegrowers of Cahors – men and women who hold the values of the South-West in high regard – who make it unique. To find out more, visit the official Cahors wines website.

The terroirs

Kimmeridgian

A geological stage belonging to the Upper Jurassic. It dates back approximately 150 million years. The
Kimmeridgian period began with the early formation of the Paris Basin. A succession of seas each contributed sedimentary deposits. The distinctive feature of this geological formation is its so-called ‘stacked plate’ structure, resulting from this layering. An alternation of marl and marly limestone characterised by the abundant presence of a small comma-shaped oyster, the EXOGYRA VIRGULA. The distinctive feature of this soil is that it imparts finesse, freshness and minerality to the wines.

MIOCENE BROWN MARL

At the beginning of the Miocene (-23 Ma), whilst the western Mediterranean Sea was forming to the east of Aquitaine through
oceanisation, a very shallow sea extended eastwards from the Atlantic as far as the vicinity of Agen, where the deposits retain a coastal character (the Aquitaine shell faluns). During the second half of the Miocene (-5 Ma), marine regression began and the shallow basin gradually
shrank to a marly mudflat in southern Landes, which eventually disappeared, filled in by the Langhian-Serravallian sandstones and fawn-coloured sands (-8 to -13 Ma). The distinctive feature of this geological formation is that it lends body, density and roundness to the wines.

SIDEROLITHIC

Soils formed on acidic detrital deposits from the early Tertiary period, resulting from the erosion of the Massif Central or the weathering of Cretaceous limestones. These acidic soils are often reddish in colour and contain beds of rounded quartz or quartzite pebbles. These deposits overlie the hard limestones of the Mesozoic era. The distinctive feature of this geological formation is that it imparts length and aromatic complexity; with its iron-rich density, it will display spicier, almost peppery notes.

A few photos of Fabien Jouves’ Mas del Périé