Vintage 2020: trends and perspectives in the Domaines et Châteaux Gérard Bertrand

The 2020 harvest has started well on our estates, the most advanced and undoubtedly the Aigle estate in Limoux where the harvest began at the end of August (27/8) with the harvest of the first early Pinots and ended last Saturday. The point of vigilance of this vintage was first of all on the whites where we had a precise monitoring of the maturities to preserve the acidity and the good balance of these wines.

On the whites, the abundant spring rainfall as well as the showers during the summer allowed to have juicy berries and to have very clear and aromatic juices. The first reds present sustained colors and very concentrated musts. The vigilance focuses on the very high extractability of the tannins this year. Thus, the macerations are shorter and the extractions very gentle (light pumping over, no over-extraction).

Harvesting at just the right maturity allows us to have elegant wines without seeking over-extraction, particularly of drying tannins. The weather is with us for the moment with the absence of rain which allows us to establish a harvest schedule without rushing. The first Syrahs have just been harvested on La Clape with already very pronounced notes of garrigue, the vast majority of Syrahs should be harvested from the end of the week or even next week on our other Mediterranean terroirs ( Boutenac , La Livinière , Terrasse du Larzac and Cabrières ).

The rosé harvest is underway; and new this year, all the estates have equipped themselves with refrigerated containers as well as crates allowing us to press fresh grapes to preserve all the aroma of the grapes and obtain our pale rosés which are the trend for these wines. The first juices are being barreled (notably at Clos du Temple where the last plots will be harvested tomorrow) and seem very promising.

At Cigalus , the Chardonnay and Sauvignon whites are slowly finishing their co-fermentation in barrels and are slowly completing the fermentation of the sugars. The colors are bright, the lively and clean wines have excellent aging potential and are already very pleasant to taste. The next 6 months in barrels will allow the full expression of the aromatic potential of these very great wines. The Mediterranean whites (Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne / Marsanne, etc.) are currently being picked. Despite the current health context, all the harvesting teams are complete and are happy to participate in the completion of this new vintage, the fruit of a whole year of precise work in the vineyard.

A good harvest in perspective

Harvest volumes will be close to the previous year, in line with our quality objectives.

The health status of the vineyard is very good. However, we will have to be vigilant depending on the upcoming weather.

The quality indicators (earliness; leaf area/load ratio; chemical composition and tasting of the berries; health status) suggest an exceptional vintage.