After a year of improvement to 97% humidity and a temperature of 13 °, they saw daylight again on Friday. More than 500 bottles and magnums of Probus 2016 Clos Triguedina, buried at the foot of the Grand Dôme room
Padirac chasm, in the
Lot, were deconfined, after having aged 103 meters underground.
This is the first time that bottles of red wine have been installed in the Gouffre de Padirac, the first underground natural heritage site in France, which celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2019.
A wine with a younger character
And the result is rather surprising: a more purple red wine in a bottle with more patina than in a traditional cellar. “Bottles of wine had already been put under the sea but never at the bottom of the abyss so this project interested us, explains Jean-Luc Baldès, winegrower of the great Cahors wines representing the sixth generation of Clos Triguedia. We tasted the bottles from the abyss to compare them to those in the cellar: those aged underground have a younger character, which will allow them to be kept longer. It was an ideal storage temperature. “
The winemaker and his wife were able to descend three or four times to observe the appearance and storage conditions of the bottles installed on May 12, 2020 in the Grand Dôme room. For more than a year, the professional let them doze off, without moving them.
Tasting at the bottom of the chasm
For Jean-Luc Baldès, the experience is conclusive and could be repeated. “The life of a winegrower is also made of research, of experience to always serve better quality, a better product, underlines this 66-year-old professional who hopes to pass the family estate on to his daughter. With this test, we obtained two great wines. My wife having had cancer, we also want to sell some of the magnums to benefit the League against cancer. “
Some wine lovers were able to taste this exceptional vintage on Friday during a visit to the Padirac gulf, as well as to Clos Triguedina during a tasting event. Bottles of this limited series will also be on sale in the shops of the Lotois site and of the winegrower. They can be pre-reserved now at a price of 55 euros per bottle.