Great Wine: Gérard Bertrand Cote des Roses Rosé

By Johannes Marlena

It’s a good day when you find a gem of a wine at Cost Plus. Probabilities were stacked for success with this point-of-sale purchase, as GÉRARD BERTRAND has been, for quite some time, one of our favorite wine producers. Why a favorite? For starters, his extensive lineup of wines—focusing on the South of France winegrowing region—is widely available everywhere. It gnaws at the conscience, sometimes, when a wine publication like ours focuses too overwhelmingly on wines that are hard for people to get. Exclusivity is alright and all, but finding and sharing commonalities is something that seems worthy to pursue in large measure. Secondly, Gérard Bertrand wines are often very affordable AND the quality of the wines far exceed the lowered expectations of a lower price point. Factor in all of the above and Charlie Sheen would say, “Winning!” And the 2016 Cote des Roses Rosé is no exception to the Gérard Bertrand milieu. Made from grapes of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah—the same grapes (plus Mourvèdre) widely used to produce Provence rosé—except these are from the Languedoc region—this is zesty minerality that meets the acidity of pink grapefruit and young strawberry that meets the sweetness of green melon and honeydew. Light, fresh, delightful, fruity, easygoing, fun, casual and breezy… there’s no complaints whatsoever. Soft and supple on the palate and exceedingly well balanced—this is a rosé that’s never too much of anything—and packaged in a beautifully-shaped and cut glass bottle too—it’s just so easy to recommend. Another notch in the win column for this great wine producer.  –J.M.

 

Find this wine at a store near you or online:

• Available at several grocery stores (like Albertsons)
• Search via Wine Searcher
• Search via 1000 Corks
• Winery

July 12, 2017