Gérard Bertrand: Terroirism Specialist
Terroir refers to a special area in a wine-growing region where the elements of climate, grape variety, soil, exposure to the sun and location converge to help create wines with unique profiles of taste, bouquet and aging potential. Not to be forgotten is also the influence of the winemaker. While we usually refer to the terroir of smaller areas, when it comes to producing characterful wines in larger quantities Gérard Bertrand is a master. Concentrating on perfecting his craft along the sun-drenched Mediterranean coast of France, he has picked out vineyard sites in the Languedoc where the elements of terroir bring out the best of the Syrah and Grenache grape. Each variety is picked and fermented separately and is then blended into a 50/50 cuvée which in turn spends up to a year in French oak barriques (barrels). Consistently over delivering with great value, it’s plush and full-bodied with classical notes of dark fruit, spices, cocoa and a hint of smoke. It glides along the palate to a dry, rich finish. A perfect summer barbeque wine for the Labour Day weekend. At LCBO retail outlets there’s currently $2 off the per bottle price.