Classic Guido's Pick

Philippe Bernede

Clos La Coutale Cahors Philippe Bernede 2023

Name: Clos La Coutale Cahors Philippe Bernede 2023
Brand: Philippe Bernede
SKU: BERNEDE-LACOUTALE
Price: 28.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$28.00

Style: Dry, full-bodied red with the deep color, dark fruit, and firm tannic structure Cahors is known for, softened by the 20% Merlot into something approachable in its youth
Grapes & terroir: 80% Malbec (known locally as Côt or Auxerrois) and 20% Merlot; organically farmed vines averaging 25 years old in Guyot simple training at low yields of approximately 45 hl/ha
Winemaking: Destemmed; each vineyard parcel vinified separately in stainless steel at 82°F with a vatting period of 15–18 days; plots blended in January following harvest; aged 8–12 months in a combination of large oak foudres and one-to-two-year-old Bordeaux grand cru barrels; bottled unfiltered
Serving temperature & decanting: Serve at 63–65°F; decant 30–45 minutes for the 2023 vintage; the wine opens considerably with air and will continue to develop over 8–10 years in the cellar
Pairing: Cassoulet (the slow-cooked white bean and duck or pork stew of Southwest France)
Similar to: Pécharmant from Bergerac in its Southwest French character, Madiran in its tannic backbone, mid-weight Bordeaux from the right bank in its Merlot-softened structure

Clos La Coutale Cahors Philippe Bernede 2023 is a dry red wine from the AOC Cahors appellation in Southwest France, made from 80% Malbec and 20% Merlot grown on 60 hectares of southwest-facing alluvial terraces rising gently from the Lot River. The siliceous, clay, and limestone soils support organically farmed vines averaging 25 years old. Philippe Bernede vinifies each plot separately in stainless steel at 82°F for 15 to 18 days, blends in January, then ages in large oak foudres and one-to-two-year-old Bordeaux barrels. Clos La Coutale Cahors Philippe Bernede 2023 is bottled unfiltered. Approximately 13% ABV.

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

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If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.

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If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Clos La Coutale Cahors Philippe Bernede 2023

$28.00

Producer profile

Philippe Bernede

Clos La Coutale is one of the oldest wine estates in Cahors, with family records pre-dating the French Revolution. The property dates from 1850 and was fully replanted in 1885 in the aftermath of the phylloxera epidemic that had destroyed virtually the entire Cahors vineyard. Philippe Bernède is the sixth generation of the Bernède family to make wine here, carrying on a tradition built by his great-great-grandfather Valmy, who established the domaine's foundations.

The estate farms 60 hectares of vineyards on the southwest-facing alluvial terraces of the Lot River, near the Lot River valley floor. Vines average 25 years of age, trained in Guyot simple with seven canes, and farmed organically — a commitment the estate made formally from the 2022 vintage, making it one of the largest organic Malbec producers in Southwest France. Soils are a mix of siliceous gravel, clay, and limestone, and the estate's position on the valley floor, sheltered from the cold winds descending off the Causse plateau, gives it a frost-free microclimate with reliable, early ripening.

Philippe is also a prolific inventor with multiple patents to his name. He designed the double-hinged Coutale corkscrew — one of the most widely used wine openers in the world — and invented the Coutale "pigeur," a pneumatic punch-down system capable of fully breaking the cap of any-sized fermentation tank in minutes, now used by a range of Bordeaux châteaux and Cahors estates. He works the estate with his sons.

In the cellar, each parcel is vinified separately in stainless steel before the final blend is assembled in January, then aged in large oak foudres and Bordeaux grand cru barrels before unfiltered bottling. Clos La Coutale has been imported to the United States by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant for over forty years.

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Wine region

Cahors, France

Cahors sits in the Lot department of Southwest France, built on a limestone-flanked peninsula formed by one of the Lot River's most dramatic meanders, roughly 100 miles east of Bordeaux. The town has been a center of commerce, religion, and gastronomy for more than two thousand years — the Romans planted vines here, medieval pilgrims on the route to Santiago de Compostela passed through it, and Eleanor of Aquitaine served its wines at her 12th-century wedding. The wine produced here was historically called the "black wine of Cahors" for the extraordinary depth of color that Malbec develops on these soils.

The Cahors appellation was awarded AOC status in 1971 and covers vineyards along the Lot Valley and the elevated limestone plateau above it, known as the Causse. The two terroir types produce distinctly different wines. The valley floor and its alluvial terraces — where Clos La Coutale is situated — produce wines of generous dark fruit, smoother tannins, and more immediate appeal, owing to the rich siliceous, clay, and limestone soils that warm readily in the sun. The Causse plateau soils, thinner and more austere, produce Malbec with firmer structure and a more mineral, angular character suited to long aging.

AOC Cahors rules require a minimum of 70% Malbec (also called Côt or Auxerrois locally) with Merlot and Tannat permitted to complete the blend. The appellation produces only red wine. Cahors was historically the dominant Malbec wine region before Argentina transformed the variety's global profile; the region is currently in a sustained revival, with organic and biodynamic farming expanding rapidly and a new generation of producers attracting international attention. Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant has been importing Cahors to the United States for decades, helping sustain international interest in the appellation.

Frequently asked question

When is my order shipping?

We are doing your best to ship your order in 2-3 business days.

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Do I have to sign upon delivery?

Yes, someone 21 years or older must sign for the package.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

What if I miss a delivery?

Worry not, we have options, but please read carefully.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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What is natural wine?

Natural wine is a type of wine made in small batches from organic or biodynamic grapes with minimal intervention.

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What is Biodynamics?

Biodynamic wine is wine made from grapes farmed biodynamically. Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach.

What is organic wine?

Organic wine is made with grapes farmed organically. Organic farming is an alternative to conventional farming.

What is vegan wine?

Vegan wine is wine made without using animal products during the fining phase of the clarification process.