Cahors vineyards, Decanter, Jefford on Monday
A view of vineyards and the Lot river at Albas in Cahors.
(Image credit: Jérôme Morel)

Bodega Fabre Montmayou, the award-winning bodega in Argentina, has announced the purchase of several wineries in Cahors.

Although French in origin, Hervé Joyeaux has been living in Argentina since 1993 where he founded Bodega Fabre Montmayou and began producing 100% Malbec wines at a time when there were only 10,000 hectares of the grape in the country, compared to 45,000 today, and when it was seen primarily as a blending aid.

Together with his partners the Montmayou family, Joyeaux has now bought Château de Grezels and Prieuré de Cenac in Cahors, along with the brand Château Saint Didier de Parnac from the Rigal family.

In total the purchases represent 120 hectares, making them the second largest producers in Cahors.

The Cahors wine bureau has been pursuing a strategy of promoting the Malbec grape internationally, in recognition of the fact that, although native to southwest France, it has gained its current status thanks to South America, where its first plantings date back to 1853.

According to recent figures, 90% of global plantings of the grape are located in Argentina and France.

In 2007 a delegation of French winemakers from Cahors visited Argentina and visited several estates, including Fabre Montmayou, and since 2013 several partnerships have been announced, including the Argentinian consultant Léo Borsi working with the Piéron family at Château de Rouffiac.

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Jane Anson
Jane Anson

Jane Anson was Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent until 2021 and has lived in the region since 2003. She writes a monthly wine column for Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, and is the author of Bordeaux Legends: The 1855 First Growth Wines (also published in French as Elixirs). In addition, she has contributed to the Michelin guide to the Wine Regions of France and was the Bordeaux and Southwest France author of The Wine Opus and 1000 Great Wines That Won’t Cost a Fortune. An accredited wine teacher at the Bordeaux École du Vin, Anson holds a masters in publishing from University College London, and a tasting diploma from the Bordeaux faculty of oenology.

Roederer awards 2016: International Feature Writer of the Year