It was established in Quercy by the Romans. They developed its production while providing know-how. Faced with the success of this wine, in 92 A.D., the Emperor Domitian asked to tear off half the vineyard to protect the Italian production but the people disobeyed him.
In the Middle Age, it was called "black wine".
Eleanor of Aquitaine's marriage to Henry II, the future King of England, opened the doors of London to the wine. Very appreciated in England, Cahors wine is experiencing considerable growth.
Consumed by pilgrims on the Way to Santiago de Compostela, its reputation developed in France and abroad, so that in 1310, 850000 hl of Cahors, or 50% of exports from Bordeaux left the port.
In 1325, it even became Pope John XXII's table wine.
From 1337 onwards, the Hundred Years' War and a Mandate of 1373 promoted the wines of the Gironde by overtaxing other wines, including the Cahors. The Cahors wine maintains its reputation by returning to the court of Francis 1, it is exported to England, Germany, Holland or Russia where it became a mass wine.
But in 1877, a parasitic aphid called phylloxera attacked the vine and destroyed the entire Cahors vineyard, which lost its 58,000 hectares.
It was not until 1947 that some winegrowers created a cellar in Parnac and revived the Côt N culture with grafts from Bordeaux winegrowers. The frosts of winter 1956 destroyed 99% of the vineyard.
The vines were then replanted with Merlot, Tannat and Côt N and in 1971, the Cahors obtained the AOC with 440 hectares.
Today the appellation covers 4500 hectares.
As the window lintel shows, the first part of the cellar dates from 1779. Charles, the Grandfather was born in 1840 and he graduated from the Cahors School of Agriculture in 1860. He managed the vineyard for about forty years, the books of accounts written at the time are impressive.
The first bronze medal of the Paris General Competition dates back to 1895, it was the third agricultural competition that still exists today.
Then Charles' son ran the estate until about 1916. He went to war and did not return. This is how his wife and son Ernest took over the estate. They practiced polyculture.
The vines were worked with horses.
Valmi Bernède was one of the pioneers in the reconstruction of the Cahors vineyard, the development of production, the sale in bottles and the transition of the Cahors appellation to AOC in 1971.
Apprenticeship certificate in 1840
Paris General Agricultural Competition - 1895
Philippe Bernède has been managing Clos la Coutale since 1985, the 100-hectare vineyard ensures
a production of 450,000 bottles, 85% of which are exported.
