Gérard Bertrand Clos du Temple 2019

Alana L rated this wine as 94/100 with the following review:

Clos du Temple, AOP Languedoc Cabrières, 2019 / Awarded ‘Best Rosé in the World 2020’ at the (blind tasting) Global Rosé Masters of Drinks Business, Clos du Temple 2019 is Demeter-certified organic, and an assemblage of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Viognier & Syrah. Manual harvested in crates, each plot is harvested at the optimum date and vinified separately with maturing done in new barrels precisely for 6 months on fine lees. Gérard Bertrand designed this wine to mirror a temple with the foundation being Grenache, the columns – Cinsault, the walls – Syrah, the architecture – Mourvèdre and the roof – Viognier. Pale and delicate in colour, on the palate it’s rich, complex, layered, perfectly balanced with great acidity and a super long finish. Elegance in a glass. Full of aromas and flavours of ripe strawberries, citrus, peaches, stone fruit, notes of pepper and present but nuanced hints of cedar and vanilla from the oak. In all transparency I am not normally a big fan nor drinker of Rosé wines and this one rendered me speechless. And did the same for the 2 other people that tasted it with me. It is stellar. Wow. Beautiful on its own but would pair beautifully with very simple lobster or scampi.

A leader in organic and biodynamic viticulture and named ‘Green Personality of the Year’ in 2020 at the Drinks Business Green Awards (the world's largest competition aimed at raising awareness of environmental issues in the beverage industry and rewarding exemplary sustainability and environmental performance), Gérard Bertrand discovered his passion for wine at his family’s estate, Villemajou, in 1975, started running it in 1987 and created the Gérard Bertrand wine company in 2002 to showcase and develop wines in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the South of France. The company now includes 16 châteaux, estates and wineries covering over 850 hectares cultivated using biodynamic methods in one or more of 6 levels of certification: conversion to organic agriculture; organic agriculture; no added sulphites; vegan; bee-friendly and Demeter-certified biodynamic. Guiding his philosophy is that these organic practices are not only an essential way to act for the planet and to ‘be the change’, but also that they allow the identity of the terroir and sense of place to shine through and for the wines to ‘taste of somewhere and not of something’!

Tasted as part of Gérard Bertrand’s virtual Organic French Wine festival.

Jennifer Havers rated this wine as 90/100 with the following review:

Very pretty and light. Aromas of both fresh and candied strawberry, orange and lime. Light bodied on the palate, dry, with mouthwatering acidity and tons of fresh berry notes. Slight hints of citrus and minerality on the finish. Enjoy with smoked salmon or any shellfish.