La Forge Corbières-Boutenac 2017 – Gérard Bertrand

The fruit of La Forge Corbières-Boutenac Gérard Bertrand was manually harvested. Whole grapes were transferred to vats, without crushing and each variety was vinified separately by whole-bunch maceration. The wines then went through malolactic fermentation before the blending of the different varieties. 80% of the blend was matured in new 225 litre oak barrels for a period of 12 months; the barrels were carefully selected according to origin and toast-level. La Forge Corbières-Boutenac Gérard Bertrand was bottled without filtering and then cellared for a further 12 months prior to release.

The remarkable quality of this wine lies in the exceptional quality of the grapes and the age of the Carignan vines, which are 100 years old. Yields are low at 25 hectolitres per hectare and a green harvest takes place to ensure maximum concentration of flavour in the berries. The soils in the vineyard are made up of stones from the Miocene period.