Château du Cèdre is the reference estate for premium Cahors, run by Pascal and Jean-Marc Verhaeghe from their estate in Vire-sur-Lot (Lot, Southwest France). Cahors AOC requires a minimum 70% Malbec (locally called Côt), grown on the region's distinctive Quercy limestone causses (plateaux) and alluvial terraces above the Lot river. At Château du Cèdre, old-vine Malbec grown on the upper limestone terraces produces structured, dark-fruited, tannic wines capable of 1020 years of ageing a world away from the early-drinking, fruit-forward Argentine Malbec that has defined international perception of the variety.

Cahors from Château du Cèdre demonstrates the original French expression of Malbec: firm tannin, mineral austerity, black plum and truffles over Quercy limestone structurally opposite to Mendoza Malbec's soft, fruit-forward, high-altitude character. For programmes building a French-vs-Argentine Malbec narrative, or wanting to represent the deeper historical provenance of the variety, Château du Cèdre is the quality benchmark for French Cahors: the appellation's most critically recognised estate.