Gérard Bertrand : Legend Vintage Rivesaltes 1974

Tasting notes and serving tips: Legend Vintage Rivesaltes 1974, Gérard Bertrand

Tasting

Appearance

The color displays an amber hue with tawny highlights, characteristic of extended aging in an oxidative environment.

Nose

The nose reveals remarkable aromatic complexity with notes of buttery caramel, toffee and honeyed candied apricots. Aromas of raisins, vanilla, black walnuts and cocoa emerge in the background, accompanied by smoky touches. With aeration, nuances of toasted almonds and apricot crumble unfold.

Palate

On the palate, the wine charms with its freshness and remarkable balance. The natural sweetness of the residual sugars is paired with lively, citrus-tinged acidity that brings drive and energy. Juicy flavors of candied fruits and glazed apricots delicately coat the palate, while the finish reveals spicy notes of cinnamon and truffle.

Food and wine pairings

Legend Vintage Rivesaltes 1974 pairs superbly with Roquefort and blue-veined cheeses, creating perfect harmony between the wine’s sweetness and the cheese’s salty character. It also elegantly complements dark chocolate desserts, walnut cakes, dried-fruit tarts, as well as spiced duck preparations. This wine can also be enjoyed as a digestif.

Serving and cellaring

It is recommended to serve Legend Vintage Rivesaltes 1974 at around 12°C to allow its delicate aromas to fully express themselves. Despite being nearly fifty years old, this wine still has exceptional aging potential for several decades, thanks to the mutage technique that gives it remarkable longevity.

An outstanding Roussillon Rivesaltes – Gérard Bertrand

The estate

Officially founded in 1992, the Gérard Bertrand company is now headed by its eponymous founder, president of SPH Gérard Bertrand. Born in 1965 in Narbonne, Gérard Bertrand took over the family estate of Villemajou in the Corbières in 1987, an inheritance passed down through three generations. The company has grown to become a winegrowing empire spanning 850 hectares across 14 estates throughout Languedoc-Roussillon. Gérard Bertrand has established himself as the world leader in biodynamic wines, having converted all of his properties as early as 2002. Recognized as Wine Merchant of the Year by La Revue du Vin de France in 2016 and named a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 2023, he embodies the qualitative transformation of winegrowing southern France.

The vineyard

Rivesaltes is an appellation d'origine contrôlée for vins doux naturels established in 1936, spanning 86 communes in the Pyrénées-Orientales and 9 communes in the Aude. The vineyard covers around 5,200 hectares of tiered, hilly terroirs crossed by three major rivers: the Agly, the Têt and the Tech. This geography creates remarkable geological complexity, with soils composed of pebbles, granite, clay, silt and schist. The region’s subtropical Mediterranean climate encourages optimal ripening of grapes used to craft these outstanding vins doux naturels.

Winemaking and aging

Legend Vintage Rivesaltes 1974 was crafted using the traditional mutage method, a technique defined in the thirteenth century by Arnau de Vilanova. This method involves adding a maximum of 10% pure grape-derived alcohol to stop fermentation and preserve the grapes’ natural sugars. Classified as Rivesaltes tuilé, the wine underwent extended aging in an oxidative environment in large vessels for several decades, developing exceptional aromatic complexity with distinctive tertiary notes.

Grape varieties

This wine from Roussillon is a blend of Grenache Noir and Macabeu.