La Chantrerie : Le culte de la terre

Jewels of the Lot gastronomy, Cahors wine and truffle come both from the Quercy soil.
On the wide chalky plateau between the Massif Central mountains and the Garonne plain, the white stone marks the ground where juniper bushes, boxwood and peducunlate oaks grow.

This is the truffle's chosen territory, a mysterious oak tree, whose roots entwine with the mycelium of the mushroom. A limestone soil, rich in organic matter, and a Mediterranean climate that gives birth to and nurtures the truffle.

The blackened spheres are found in number on the limestone plateau of Martel and Lalbenque and as many are found today south of Cahors. The Cahors vines are planted along the Lot river (forlerly known as the "Olt") and also grow on the surrounding terraces and limestone plateaux.

Although the production zone officially covers some 22000 hectares at an altitude of between 100 and 250 metres, only 4000 hectares are in production today.

In this area, the wine develops it's character and qualities on three type of soil on the limestone plateaux, chalky pebbles mixed with clay, on the meandaring terraces of ancient alluvial deposits, and the more recent sandy silt near the river banks.

The cult of the earth