Gérard Bertrand : Legend Vintage Maury 1939

Characteristics and tasting advice for the Legend Vintage Maury 1939 by Gérard Bertrand

Tasting

Color

The color reveals a lovely amber hue with coppery and golden highlights, punctuated by brick-red nuances that bear witness to this wine’s extraordinary evolution over the decades.

Nose

The nose unfolds remarkable complexity, with aromas of caramelized fruit, cocoa and licorice. Exceptional spicy notes reminiscent of clove, nutmeg and cumin mingle with fragrances of macerated walnuts, revealing the power imparted by the very long aging in barrel.

Palate

On the palate, this wine charms with a profile that is both intensely luscious and remarkably fluid, almost fresh. Indulgent notes of dark chocolate and coffee dominate the palate, while the syrupy texture caresses the taste buds with wonderful notes of cherry compote and prunes. The soft, spicy finish reveals the harmony, finesse and complexity of this historic monument, a liqueur-like nectar still remarkably preserved after more than 85 years.

Food and wine pairings

The Legend Vintage Maury 1939 pairs perfectly with Roquefort, dark chocolate or a walnut cake. More generally, this vin doux naturel beautifully accompanies chocolate desserts, blue-veined cheeses such as Fourme d'Ambert, as well as sweet-and-savory dishes such as duck à l'orange or duck breast with figs.

Serving and cellaring

The Legend Vintage Maury 1939 can be enjoyed immediately and has a theoretically unlimited aging potential thanks to its richness in alcohol and its natural residual sugars preserved by the mutage process.

A historic vin doux naturel from Roussillon, an exceptional testament to Maury’s winegrowing heritage

The estate

The Bertrand family’s winegrowing story began in 1920 with Paule Bertrand, who planted the first vines in the Corbières. In 1992, Gérard Bertrand officially founded his own company following the accidental death of his father in 1987. Today, the group oversees 17 estates spread throughout Languedoc-Roussillon, representing around 1,000 hectares of vineyards farmed under Demeter-certified biodynamics. Gérard Bertrand, recognized as the world’s leading biodynamic producer and named Best Winemaker in the World, runs the company alongside his wife Ingrid. The Legend Vintage collection brings together vin doux naturels from Roussillon dating from 1875 to modern times, showcasing this region’s outstanding winegrowing heritage.

The vineyard

The Maury appellation covers around 1,700 hectares across the communes of Maury, Rasiguères, Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet and Tautavel, northwest of Perpignan. The vineyard lies in a syncline dominated to the north by the limestone barrier of the Corbières and to the south by the last foothills of the Pyrenees. The terroir stands out for its soils of black schistous marls resulting from secondary marine deposits, combined with brown marls downstream from the village. This low-pH soil type gives Grenache noir, the appellation’s signature grape variety, a particularly intense and deep expression. The distinctly Mediterranean climate, shaped by wind and the influence of the mountains, offers ideal conditions for growing vines between rocks and garrigue.

The vintage

The 1939 vintage dates back to a historically significant period marking the start of World War II in Europe. Despite the exceptional constraints linked to requisitions and the economic disruptions of the time, the winegrowers of Roussillon persevered in their production. This unique context makes this wine extremely precious as a historic testimony to resilient viticulture.

Winemaking and aging

The Legend Vintage Maury 1939 was crafted using the traditional mutage sur grain method, characteristic of Maury vin doux naturels. This technique involves adding grape spirit to the fermenting must before pressing, thereby stopping fermentation and allowing extended maceration of one to three weeks. This process promotes significant extraction of anthocyanins, tannins and aromas, producing a wine built for long aging. The very long aging in barrel has endowed the wine with a tannic character and incredible power, while developing its exceptional aromatic complexity over the decades.

Grape variety

Grenache noir (minimum 75%, in accordance with the 1908 municipal decree making this grape variety mandatory for the Maury appellation)