Cot 'Un Côté Obscur' Domaine Oudart 2021

The Côt 'Un Côté Obscur' is one of the most interesting and original reds produced by Domaine Oudart. It is a pure Malbec, known in this area as Côt, by which it is still called by local vignerons. It comes from a careful selection of grapes from particularly suitable plots, which guarantee optimal maturation, indispensable for obtaining a red wine with rich aromas and a harmonious, balanced profile. It is a surprising wine, absolutely worth tasting, to get to know the expression of the vine in this region.

Un Côté Obscur was born on an estate in Mareuil-sur-Cher. Domaine Oudart manages an 11-hectare property in conversion to organic farming, where it cultivates classic vines of the region: Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay and Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Côt, with which it produces wines with a frank and direct face, an authentic expression of terroir. Malbec, a grape variety that is especially widespread in the Cahors area and the Bordeaux region before finding a second home overseas in the lands of Argentina, is also present in the Loire Valley. Here it is reintroduced under its old name of Côt and is cultivated in the estate's vineyards on the banks of the river Cher. The cool climate and soils composed of sands, clays and siliceous components are very draining and suitable for red varieties, which express themselves with particular finesse. After the harvest, fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats, with classic maceration on the skins for a few weeks. The wine then matures for 6 months in French oak barrels before being bottled.

Domaine Oudart's 'Un Côté Obscur' is a red of good intensity, offering a fine version of Malbec. Its characteristics make it a perfect wine to enjoy with grilled meat or roast beef. In the glass, it has a beautiful dark red colour with purple highlights. On the nose, it offers intense and rich aromas reminiscent of ripe cherries, small dark berry fruits, blackcurrants, wild blackberries, red-fleshed plums, sensations of undergrowth, humus and leather, delicately spiced and toasted hints. Its good structure rests on a dense but ripe and soft tannic texture, which envelops a dense and ripe fruit, ample and harmonious, which accompanies a well-balanced finish with good taste persistence.