So many local names for the same grape… Auxerrois in Quercy and Cahors where it originates, but also Pressac, Noir de Pressac or Gros Noir, Cot in the Loire Valley and Malbec in Bordeaux. It is a round and black grape with medium sized berries, with fairly open, loose clusters and fairly juicy seeds. This is a variety maturing during the second period compared to the Chasselas variety: the buds burst 4 days later and ripen 2 and a half weeks afterwards. Not easy to grow, Malbec is sensitive to winter and spring frost, its early bud-bursting is subject to shattering but is fairly resistant to odium.