Gérard Bertrand : La Forge 2023

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for La Forge 2023 by Gérard Bertrand

Tasting

Colour

La Forge 2023 reveals a deep black cherry hue, immediately hinting at the wine's concentration.

Nose

The nose is intense, driven by aromas of jammy red and black fruit, accentuated by notes of toast, clove and sweet spices from barrel ageing.

Palate

The attack is ample and generous, carried by a silky texture and soft tannins that envelop the palate. The palate extends into a finish marked by spicy touches, in a style that is both powerful and elegant.

Food and Wine Pairing

La Forge 2023 is ideally paired with rack of lamb or grilled red meats. It also goes very well with Mediterranean dishes enhanced with aromatic herbs, roasted vegetables, and furred game.

Serving and Cellaring

It is advisable to decant La Forge 2023 before serving, at a serving temperature of around 18°C, in order to fully reveal its aromas. Made from old vines and aged in barrels, this cuvée is regarded as a wine with significant ageing potential, capable of improving for many years in the cellar.

La Forge, a Single-Parcel Grand Cru from Château de Villemajou in Corbières-Boutenac

The Estate

Born around Château de Villemajou in the Corbières, the Gérard Bertrand house has grown since the early 1990s to become a major player in Languedoc wines. As both owner and winemaker, Gérard Bertrand now oversees a group of estates farmed biodynamically, totalling several hundred hectares that are certified or in conversion. Faithful to the legacy passed down by his father Georges, he has made respect for terroir and biodynamics the pillars of his philosophy, through a range spanning accessible cuvées to single-parcel grands crus such as La Forge.

The Vineyard

La Forge comes from a plot in the lieu-dit of the same name, located on Château de Villemajou, the historic cradle of the Bertrand family within the Corbières-Boutenac appellation. The soil gives this Languedoc terroir a distinctive mineral identity. The vines planted there are among the oldest on the estate, farmed according to biodynamic principles.

Vinification and Ageing

For the production of La Forge 2023, the grapes are harvested by hand and then carefully selected, with yields deliberately limited to promote concentration. A large part of the harvest is vinified as whole bunches, in the spirit of the region's traditional macerations. After blending, the wine is aged in oak barrels before bottling, then continues to mature in the cellar.

Grape Varieties

La Forge 2023 is a blend of Grenache Noir, Syrah and Carignan, sourced from old vines at Château de Villemajou.