2022 Clos la Coutale Cahors

The 2022 Clos La Coutale from Cahors AOC, a blend led by Malbec with a smaller proportion of Merlot, shows a deep ruby to purple color with good concentration. The nose is clean, direct, and expressive, offering black fruit—blackberry and plum—alongside notes of violet, light spice, and a subtle earthy undertone typical of the region. On the palate, it is medium-bodied, with firm but controlled tannins and balanced acidity. The fruit remains dark and focused, supported by a structured frame that reflects both the grape and the vintage conditions. The finish is dry, steady, moderately persistent, and gives off “bistro vibes”— it’ll have you wanting duck confit or a hanger steak in no time.  

In the KLWM tasting room, there is a set of shelves affixed to the wall, on which sit some of the most magical bottles opened over the years. It is a Hall of Fame of sorts. Next to empty fifths of Quintarelli, Vieux Télégraphe, and various Burgundy legends stands a bottle of 1959 Cahors from Clos La Coutale. 

I was not around to enjoy that vintage, opened in the ’80s, but I was recently able to get my hands on a few bottles of Clos La Coutale’s 2000 Cahors. I recently opened one alongside the 2022 vintage—both made by the same man, Philippe Bernède—and was blown away, both by the twenty-five-year-old bottles and the current release. This experience served as yet another reminder that this red perennially punches way above its weight, both in the immediate pleasure it delivers and the way it evolves in the bottle over time. That Philippe is able to coax this much complexity and class from the Malbec and Merlot he blends for this cuvée is nothing short of extraordinary.

Today, the 2022 is a robust, tightly coiled rouge, lifted by an impressive freshness that is balanced by notes of dark fruit, plum, earth, and eucalyptus. Over five, ten, fifteen, and twenty years, it will unfurl slowly, showing you a different kind of magic at each moment in time, culminating in a glass of stately Cahors that is similar, in ways, to aged Bordeaux. 

I haven’t even mentioned the price yet, because there is nothing more to say but reaffirm what Kermit declared decades ago: “I would recommend this at any price.” For the outstanding value, this is the kind of wine you should buy by the case or more. I, for one, plan to pop the cork on the 2022 Cahors dozens of times in the twenty years to come. 

—Tom Wolf

Clos La Coutale is a historic estate in Cahors AOC, rooted in a region long known for its deeply colored “black wines” made from Malbec (locally called Cot). Situated along the Lot River, where alluvial terraces of clay, limestone, and siliceous soils shape the vineyards, the domaine has been farmed by the Bernède family since before the French Revolution and is now led by Philippe Bernède. The estate spans roughly sixty hectares, benefiting from favorable sun exposure and protection from frost, contributing to consistent ripening and structure. The wines are typically a blend of Malbec with Merlot, balancing depth and tannin with approachability, and are known for both their aging potential and their alignment with the traditional cuisine of southwest France.