Gerard Bertrand L'indomptable the Cigalus Rouge

Gerard Bertrand

In Cigalus in the south of France, Gérard Bertrand has opted for biodynamic methods, a system of living viticulture that enhances the expression of the terroir and the unique characteristics of the grape varieties on the estate's best plots.

The vineyard benefits from the semi-arid Mediterranean climate with its mild, wet winters and hot, sunny summers, allowing early ripening of all grape varieties. The aridity of the climate with its low rainfall is compensated by deep bottoms of sediments deposited by the Aussou, the stream bordering the estate, which allows longer storage of winter rains, but whose fertility is limited by its presence in the submarine soil of a somewhat chalky sandstone of the Campanian stage, a secondary era before the rise of the Pyrenees.

The vineyard is managed according to the biodynamic system where the energy of the soil is central to the process. All work in the vineyard - plowing and pruning - and in the cellars is driven by a calendar based on two celestial bodies: the moon and the sun. The vines are thus in balance with the soil and are therefore able to fully express our terroir in the resulting wines.

The grapes are hand-picked once perfectly ripe, as judged by daily tastings in all plots prior to the start of the harvest. All grape varieties are vinified with traditional maceration, except for some of the Syrah and Carignan varieties that benefit from CO2 maceration.

The wines from the different grape varieties and parcels are kept separate for as long as possible before being transferred to new 225 liter barrels after completion of alcoholic fermentation and before malolactic fermentation, then racked and blended. Our vats have been carefully selected to adapt the choice of stave origin and type of roasting to each vintage. The wines are kept for at least 1 year before being marketed.

Gerard Bertrand

Gerard Bertrand was a rugby player and entered the parental winery in the Midi after completing his career. The south of France, the Midi, is the 'New World' of Europe for Gerard Bertrand

Here he finds all the natural conditions for great wines: grape varieties, terroir and climate. What he brings with him is his talent and his unending passion for wine.

Winemaker is not a profession for Bertrand, chosen on a whim. Because even its vines are always planted for the next generation. Just as his father, Georges Bertrand, had done before him. Sustainable viticulture and the preservation of the ecological balance are the most important challenges of our time for Gerard Bertrand .

The " Domaine de Villemajou" of the father has become four wineries: In addition to the family heritage in the Corbières, these are "Cigalus" also Corbieres, "Laville-Betrou" in Minervois-La-Liviniere and the "Château de l 'Hospitalet" in Narbonne, surrounded by the state of Clape. More than a hundred different wines are now sold under the Gerard Bertrand name, but each wine is a personal promise to the customers: guaranteed quality from the heart.