2015 Gerard Bertrand Pinot Noir Aigle Royal

Gérard Bertrand is a former French professional rugby player who in the early 1990s created his own company for buying wine estates and producing wine. A native of Narbonne, in the south of France, Bertrand based his wine company in the south and has concentrated on acquiring and managing estates in Languedoc-Roussillon. Today the Gérard Bertrand name is on wines from nine estates. Many of the estates are certified as biodynamic. Wine Advocated has noted that “Gerard Bertrand makes a bevy of high quality wines from throughout the Languedoc. All of his wines have well-made, textured, ripe profiles that are always a joy to drink.”

Languedoc-Roussillon is very large wine-producing region in south and southwestern France extending along the Mediterranean coast from northern Spain to the Rhone Valley. It includes more than 800,000 vineyard acres and numerous appellations, nearly all created since the mid-20th century. Languedoc-Roussillon produces one-third of all the wine made in France and it long had a reputation for quantity over quality. In the last few decades, however, outside investors and some long-time local producers have greatly improved vineyard practices and winemaking. The result is that Languedoc-Roussillon is now home to many entrepreneurially-minded producers highly focused on quality, and it enjoys a buzz among wine buyers looking for well-crafted, robust wines offered at excellent values. The most successfully grown red grapes are the traditional Rhone varietals of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah, though Carignan and Cinsault are also planted. The intense sun and dry weather makes it tougher to grow white grapes, though Chardonnay and some other white grapes are often successful. Chardonnay is used for the popular sparkling wine Crémant de Limoux, a Languedoc-Roussillon appellation created in 1990.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.