The Croisille family, Cécile, Bernard, and their son Germain, own 30 hectares of vineyards in Cahors, the southwestern appellation mostly devoted to malbec (côt). The appellation has had its ups and downs, as trends toward and away from malbec's inherent dark fruit and powerful tannic structure. As we find ourselves in a bit of a downward trend for that style, openminded winemakers like Germain have pushed the envelope by incorporating new winemaking techniques to show a fresher, lighter style of wine. The playfully-named "Cocori Côt" is a 50/50 blend of younger-vine malbec and merlot made with carbonic maceration and aged in concrete tanks for 6 months. While the estate still focuses on terroir-driven wines for the bulk of their production, this wine is first and foremost a vin de soif. Chill-able, gluggable, and eminently versatile, we see this wine gracing picnic tables as the sun sets all summer long.