I've long been a fan of wines from the south of France and, in particular, the wines of Gerard Bertrand so when the opportunity came up to go and find out some more, I jumped at it.
After a relatively early start, sustained by coffee, we flew from Stansted to Carcassonne, picked up the hire cars and headed to the centre of Limoux for a leasurely al fresco lunch on the main square. Hailing from the north of Scotland, the whole eating
outdoors thing is a bit alien to me, not only due to the temperature but also due to some fairly aggressive seagulls, I could grow to like it though. We then headed to our first appointment at Domain de L'Aigle situated in the rolling hills surrounding the
picturesque village of Roquetaillade with the snow capped Pyrenees as a backdrop. As if on cue, the eagles which give the wine its name even put in an appearance, soaring high above the cliffs behind the Chardonnay vines.
Acquired by Gerard Bertrand in 2007 with vineyards at an altitude of 450m, Domaine de L'Aigle produces Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with Burgundian elegance and have a real following here in Aberdeen due to the excellent value they represent. We toured the
vineyards and then headed to the winery for a tasting of the different vintages. I'm a big fan of Pinot Noir but it's a difficult grape to get right and in warmer climes, it loses some of its subtlety however the high altitude here suits it well and the end
result, for me, is a wine of great class and all for £8.99!
Next we headed for Chateau L'Hospitalet, the nerve centre of Gerard Bertrand near to Narbonne. What should have been 90 minutes away, however, became much longer as we missed the exit from the motorway and ended up half way to Barcelona before managing to
turn around! When we eventually arrived, we tasted the range of wines which are sold in Majestic and also met the man himself who, as a former rugby player, is a pretty imposing figure with really infectuous enthusiasm! Chateau L'Hospitalet also has a boutique
hotel, which was to be our base for the next few days, as well as a restaurant and artisan shops. They even host a Jazz Festival in August which draws people in from all over the world. It all embodies the Gerard Bertrand ethos of L'Art de Vivre les vins du
Sud.
The following day we headed to Chateau Laville Bertrou situated in Minnervois-La Liviniere where the parcels of Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache Noir and old vine Carignan make really dense, rich and spicy wines with notes of sweet spice. The operation here is
also embraces the principles of biodynamic viticulture steming from the teachings of Rudolph Steiner back in 1924 which predate current organic methods.
After lunch, we headed to Chateau Villemajou which was previously owned by Gerard's father. The vineyards and the winery are located in Boutenac, a recently added sub-appellation of Corbieres, and the wine produced here is based on Carignan, Grenache and
Syrah. The vineyards themselves are on very stony soil, similar to that of Chateauneuf du Papes thus regulating the temperature during the growing season. Perhaps the biggest revelation in the winery was that 100% of the Carignan crop is vinified using a process
know as carbonic maceration, most commonly used with Gamay to produce the fruity wines of Beaujolais. Using this process with carignan reduces to the tannins and gives a much smoother wine with rich blackcurrant fruit and roasted coffee bean overtones.
Our next appointment was at Domaine Cigalus which is certified by Demeter International, the largest certification organisation for biodynamic agriculture and also a certifier for organic production. The principals of biodynamic agriculture would be a seperate
subject in itself but, essentially, they involve viewing each vineyard as a living organism which can be maintained in a self-sustaining way. The estate comprises 60 hectaires and has been planted with Chardonnay, Viognier, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon and
and the wines produced truely represent the famous terroir of the Languedoc region.
Our last stop in a packed day was at Chateau Aigues Vives in the heart of the Corbieres appellation. The estate takes its name from the Roman thermal baths which once stood on the site and the same underground water supply today provides the vines with a
welcome source of nourishment. The robust tannins in this wine make it ideally suited to much fuller flavoured foods such as duck confit or garlicky Toulouse sausages. After a tour of the vines and the winery, we headed back to Chateau Hospitalet for a tasting
of some of the other wines in the Gerard Bertrand portfolio and then it was time to get ready for dinner at a local restaurant where they specialise in steak cooked over an open fire, perfect with Chateau Villemajou rouge, vegetarians can enjoy the wine on
its own!
The following day we had a tour of the walled city of Carcassonne with lunch at a local restaurant accompanied, of course, by some local wine. Starting with a sample of Cremants de Limoux, the local sparkler, we moved on to the Villemajou blanc which really
went well with the scallop starter. After a tour of the old castle, we headed back to L'Hospitalet and, with our final dinner of the trip, were treated to the 1974 vintage of their Vin Doux Natural which left us feeling very pleased with ourselves!
The final day, before heading to the airport, we had a tour of L'Hospitalet itself. Situated in an area of the Garrigue known as La Clappe, you really get a sense of how much the terroir shapes the end product as you walk around the vineyards. The wind
brings a constant scent of all the wild herbs growing around this rocky area which give the wine its distinctive flavour and bouquet.
After a fantastic few days, we returned home a couple of stone heavier but all fully subscribed to L'Art de Vivre les vins du Sud de La France!