Cahors Tradition, South West France.

Chateau Haut-Monplaisir is a twenty-eight hectare estate owned by Cathy and Daniel Fournié. Cathy inherited it from her fathers. On taking over in 1998, however, she and Daniel decided to aim for top quality, and bottle at the chateau. Pascal Verhaeghe, a successful Cahors producer in his own right, has endorsed the Fournis belief in their excellent terroir from the beginning, and still consults at the estate.

The vineyards of Château Haut-Monplaisir lie just south of the river Lot, on the third of the three alluvial terraces that rise above the river. This third terrace is composed of clay-flint soil covered in galets (large stones), and is generally considered the best of the numerous Cahors terroirs. Yields has been reduced from 120 hectolitres per hectare in the bad old days to a maximum of fifty under the new regime. Since 2009, the vineyards have been in conversion to organic viticulture.