Gérard Bertrand

Strong ruby, purple reflections, broad rim brightening. Fresh black cherry, blackberry confit, a hint of ripe plum, candied orange zest. Complex, juicy, vivid acid structure, ripe tannins, fine nougat on the finish, savoury style, good persistence, good length and certain ageing potential.

A broad contribution of grapes is at the heart of Cigalus Rouge, a wine that reflects its sunny Mediterranean climate. The authentic Languedoc blend mixes cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, syrah, grenache, and caladoc that is all Demeter certified biodynamic. The ageing occurs in new 225L French oak barrels for 12 months before the final blend and bottling. This wine gets better every year as the vines connect to the terroir. Look for a storm of garrigue throughout the juicy black fruit, plums, and cherries flecked with white pepper, curry, mint, and licorice. Its easy southern demeanour invites you to sip it now, but don’t be fooled. This wine is built to age and will easily keep 10-15 years in the bottle on the way to its apex. A versatile food wine takes me to Bejing duck, spaghetti Bolognese, or a roasted shoulder of lamb. Technically the syrah and carignan are vinified separately as whole grapes with carbonic maceration. The rest of the grapes are destemmed and fermented the traditional way for 20 days.