Gris Blanc Rosé 2022 – Gérard Bertrand.
In South-Western France, along the Mediterranean Sea, we find the Languedoc region (also referred to as Occitania). Languedoc translates as “the language of oc”, which refers to the regional dialect, Occitan. Whether you like the coast, rugged mountains and hills, or lovely rolling landscapes, there is something for everyone here. For many tourists, the highlights of the region include the Pyrenees, the city of Toulouse, the rugged Haut-Languedoc and the sunny Languedoc coastline.
Languedoc is a large and versatile region, which is very interesting in terms of viticulture. The region has a warm Mediterranean climate, with summer temperatures often above 30°c, mild winters and little rainfall, especially during the growing season. As a result, conditions for growing grapes here are ideal in most years. The warm dry climate means that drought is the biggest challenge for grape growing, but as a result, fungal diseases are least common here of all French wine regions.
In this review we are discussing an exemplary wine for this region, a rose made from Gris Blanc by one of the biggest producers in Languedoc; Gerard Bertrand.
About the Winery
The Gérard Bertrand group was founded in 1992 by Gérard Bertrand. Their biodynamic wines do a great job in capturing all the nuances of the region’s terroir. Recognized for his great talent as a blender, as well as for his boldness and creativity, Gérard and his teams are committed to making the wines of Southern France shine around the world.
Besides his commitment to sustainable viticulture, Bertrand is also committed to the young AOC Languedoc (appellation status just since 2007), which stretches across the southern French wine-growing regions from Nîmes to the eastern Pyrenees. To anchor strong brands here, the “Origine Languedoc” brand club was created, in which Gerard Bertrand, together with major producers such as Jeanjean, Foncalieu, Val d’Orbieu, Castel, the Vignerons Catalans or Skalli, campaigns for the new AOC.
With 16 châteaux and estates located on the most remarkable terroirs of southern France, Gérard Bertrand is the ambassador of Occitania’s great wines around the world. From the high-altitude vineyards near the Pyrenees to the volcanic soils of the Terrasses du Larzac and the coastal vineyards overlooking the Mediterranean, the Châteaux and estates cover 850 hectares cultivated biodynamically.
Gérard Bertrand offers a unique diversity of grape varieties and terroirs, with exceptional vineyards located in the finest crus of southern France, Corbières-Boutenac, Terrasses du Larzac, Minervois La Livinière, La Clape, Limoux, Cabrières and more.
In this review our focus lies on a wine from the Tautavel area, between the Mediterranean Sea and Pyrenees mountains, 30 km north of Perpignan.
About the Wine
Monsieur Bertrand is known for making high end wines, such as his prestigious and much-loved Clos du Temple, but he does not only make rosé for haute gastronomy, and this Gris Blanc certainly shows us that. This wine is made from 100% Grenache grapes, a late ripening grape variety best grown in a warm or hot climate. The dry and sunny terroir in Tautavel allows the grenache grapes to ripen fully.
The grapes are picked by hand and pressed immediately. During vinification, the grapes are protected as much as possible from the influence of oxygen to protect the delicate aromas of the Grenache grapes. (anaerobic vinification). The grapes are fermented at low temperature (15 to 18°C) to preserve the fresh fruity aromas as much as possible. The wine matures for several weeks on the fine lees before bottling.
Vin Gris wines are usually made by pressing red grapes directly, without maceration. This produces a pale pink wine. The resulting rosé is usually much lighter than rosé made by limited maceration or the saignée method. (bleeding). This is very evident in this wine.
It has a very light beautiful salmon pink colour. In the nose, very pleasant aromas of summer fruits such as raspberries and strawberries, accompanied by a soft peach scent. On the palate, this fruit clearly comes back as well as a slight spiciness. This wine has a pleasantly dry style, but also feels slightly filmy. Its pleasant acidity balances the wine nicely. An easy to drink wine, to enjoy young and cooled. As far as we are concerned, this wine goes perfectly with summer appetizers or as a versatile BBQ companion. The question is not whether you will drink this rosé, but when. And to the question of whether you might want another glass, we already know the answer.
The wine is bottled in a transparent glass bottle and has a clean, minimalistic look and it is available with both cork and screw cap. Fun fact, On the bottle you will find a QR code. When you scan it, you get access to 8 recipes from France to cook and taste the right Food & Wine Pairing.
We award this fine rose with a 85 point DWA score.
This wine is reviewed by our own Renée van Son and imported in the Netherlands by Sligro. Gérard Bertrand wines are available directly at Sligro for professionals or at selected hospitality partners for consumers.
Price: €10
Taste date: July 2023
Score: 85/100 DWA Score
Website: Gerard Bertrand