This week’s wines are from Gérard Bertrand, well known for their wines from the south of France.
A professional rugby player, Gérard Bertrand participated in his first harvest when he was just ten years old and this is not surprising given that winemaking has been a part of his family for over a century.
In 1920, Bertrand’s grandmother, Paule, planted the family’s very first grape vines. She passed the winemaking tradition onto her son, Georges, who is credited with crafting quality wines from the region of Languedoc, long before the area gained a reputation for doing so.
Despite his rugby career, Bertrand apprenticed with his father, Georges, for twelve years and when his father suddenly passed away in 1987, Bertrand took over the reigns of the family business. In 1992 Bertrand founded the Gérard Bertrand wine company, producing a range of wines from the South of France. Today the family owns 17 estates, all farmed biodynamically, and Bertrand’s children, Emma and Mathias, are also engaged in the family business.
The Côte des Roses wines are perfect for holiday celebrations. Not only are they enjoyable on their own, they are also food friendly, pairing with everything from appetizers to poultry. Moreover, the bottles themselves are quite beautiful with their rose-shaped bottoms, and are sure to impress as a gift or adorning a festive table.
2020 Côtes des Roses White $24.99
(On sale at BCLS for $22.99 until December 30th)
This wine is a blend of Grenache, Viognier and Vermentino. Picked at the peak of ripeness, each grape variety was harvested by machine with a built-in sorting system. Grapes were destemmed and cooled before pressing. First pressed juice was settled prior to fermentation, which lasted 15 to 30 days. Wine was lightly fined prior to bottling.
Aromas of orange rind, wet slate, Bartlett pear, honeydew melon, beeswax, underripe Italian prune plums, baked apple, cinnamon and nutmeg. This is a dry wine, medium+ in body, with medium+ acidity. The palate offers salinity, beeswax, pineapple, lemon zest, mango, pear, baked apple and sweet spice with a medium+ finish.
2021 Côtes des Roses $24.99
(On sale at BCLS for $22.99 until December 30th)
This wine is a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. Once again, each grape variety was picked at the peak of ripeness, harvested by machine and mechanically sorted. Grapes were destemmed and cooled before pressing. First pressed juice was settled prior to fermentation, which lasted 15 to 30 days. Wine was lightly fined prior to bottling.
Aromas of watermelon, flowers, pink grapefruit pith, hints of raspberry and crushed gravel. This is a dry, medium bodied wine with medium+ acidity. The creamy palate offers strawberries, peaches and cream and cherry candies with salinity, wet stone and watermelon on the medium+ finish.
2022 Côtes des Roses Rosé x Cépé $33.00
This limited edition wine is a collaboration between Emma Bertrand and South of France artist, Cépé, whose art adorns the bottle.
The parcels of grapes harvested for this wine benefit from both Mediterranean and Atlantic influence. In a similar fashion to the first two wines, grapes were picked at the peak of ripeness and harvested by machine with a built-in sorting system. Grapes were destemmed and cooled before pressing. First pressed juice was settled prior to fermentation, which lasted 15 to 30 days. Wine was lightly fined prior to bottling.
A blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Syrah, there are aromas of pink grapefruit pith, Maynard’s Swedish Berries and crushed gravel. This is a dry, medium bodied wine with medium+ acidity. The palate is more textured than the previous Rosé offering notes of pink grapefruit, rose water, peach skin, cherries, raspberries and salinity with a medium+ finish.
References
Mackay, N. (January 31, 2022). How Gérard Bertrand Fuses History and Nature with Biodynamics. Retrieved from: https://mag.sommtv.com/2022/01/gerard-bertrand/
Nigro, D. (October 27, 202). Wine Star: Gérard Bertrand. Retrieved from: https://www.winespectator.com/articles/languedoc-star-gerard-bertrand-new-york-wine-experience-2023