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SOUTH-WEST<br />
FUTURE<br />
products side by side is very worthwhile for them”.<br />
The wines are affordable, modern, balanced and<br />
more complementary to each other than rivals. In<br />
export markets, which for this estate account for<br />
40% of production, they also offer a very appealing<br />
addition to the range.<br />
PHILIPPE VINCENS<br />
VIGNOBLES PELVILLAIN:<br />
MALBEC AS A LEGACY<br />
“I have vines in my blood, I am destined to be<br />
a winegrower”. Didier Pelvillain is a key figure<br />
in the Cahors wine industry. In 1978, he joined<br />
the family-run vineyard established in the 19th<br />
century, before taking over at the helm in 1993<br />
with his two brothers Arnaud and Francis. In<br />
2013, they bought Château du Théron, bringing<br />
their total area under vine up to 52 hectares, along<br />
with a trading company. Since 2018, Didier Pelvillain<br />
has been the sole manager of this benchmark<br />
estate. A grand master of the Cahors wine brotherhood,<br />
he is a tireless promoter of the appellation,<br />
spreading the word far and wide about its many<br />
qualities. “Winegrowers have done a lot of work in<br />
their vineyards and their wineries to draw out the<br />
quintessential qualities of Malbec and its vineyard<br />
sites,” he explains. “Its excellent value for money<br />
is a real bonus, especially in export markets.<br />
Cahors is a small appellation with a superlative<br />
grape variety, but it is still considered in France to<br />
be a very tannic, robust wine. We have to be very<br />
proactive in our communications and publicise<br />
the way our wines have been resurrected so that<br />
we can safeguard our place at the heart of the top<br />
French wine regions”. The estate’s vineyards span<br />
three different vineyard sites within the appellation:<br />
terraces at Château du Port, the Cénac limestone<br />
plateau in Albas and rolling hills at Domaine<br />
du Théron in Prayssac. “Most of our established<br />
markets are stable, with 30% of our sales in export<br />
markets”, adds Didier Pelvillain. “However, the<br />
impact of the different crises affecting France and<br />
Europe is starting to be felt this year”. This has not<br />
affected the wines, though, which remain at the<br />
pinnacle of quality.<br />
DIDIER PELVILLAIN IN HIS VINEYARDS<br />
WINTER 2022 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE <strong>FR</strong>ENCH EXPERTS ON WINE<br />
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