Winemaker Notes
Gerard Bertrand is well-known for producing fantastic wines at excellent prices. Wine Enthusiast recently announced Gerard Bertrand the "European Winery of the Year" stating, "Both landowner and partner of the best winegrowers in the South of France, Gerard Bertrand manages over 325 hectares of vineyards across varying Languedoc terroirs. He fully understands the movement toward expressive, well-balanced and elegant wines that remain accessible and affordable."
Representing the topmost expression of a Champagne house, a vintage Champagne is one made from the produce of a single, superior harvest year. Vintage Champagnes account for a mere 5% of total Champagne production and are produced about three times in a decade. Champagne is typically made as a blend of multiple years in order to preserve the house style; these will have non-vintage, or simply, NV on the label. The term, "vintage," as it applies to all wine, simply means a single harvest year.
An appellation in the cooler, elevated, southern Languedoc and internationally recognized for its sparkling wines, Cremant de Limoux by definition must be comprised predominantly of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc with only miniscule amounts of the indigenous white variety, Mauzac.
This is in contrast to the more regional sparkler, Blanquette de Limoux, created from mainly Mauzac with tiny amounts of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc.