Malbec is the original grape variety in Cahors, and its marvellous characteristics are used in 70% blends with other varieties. The vineyards are situated along the Lot River on its meanders and slopes, which serve as a thermal regulator, on pebbly and gravelly soil. Located between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, rainfall and humidity levels are optimal for the quality of the vines.
Georges Vigouroux bought Château de Haute-Serre as a ruin, overgrown with juniper and oak, which had to be uprooted to avoid the vines becoming diseased. It took over two years of crushing rocks and subsoiling to get the terrain ready for planting.
In 1973, after two years preparation and work, the lands of Haute-Serre were once more ready to be replanted with vines.
At Haute-Serre, the vinification cellar was built in the centre of the estate so that once the bunches of grapes were cut they could be transported as quickly as possible to the vatroom. The building was stone-built, roofed with tiles and perfectly insulated making it cool in the summer and temperate in winter.
The vathouse in the heart of the vineyard receives the grapes in a record time and traditional and slow vinification begins, then fermentation in stainless steel tank. Georges Vigouroux often says that "The winery must be as clean as a maternity". Just after the fermentations and the cold season, Château de Haute-Serre is racked into oak tuns, then into oak barrels. The wine spends in all 12 to 18 months in wooden casks.
