Golden yellow colour, brilliant and limpid. Intense and complex nose of ripe citrus fruits (grapefruit), white peach, honey, dried fruit with a toasted note. Full and silky, ripe, ample mouth with notes of vanilla, toast, butter and exotic fruits. Good length in the mouth.
Cigalus enjoys a hot, sunny Mediterranean climate (described as “semi-arid with temperate spring variants”) ensuring early ripening of all the grape varieties. This arid climate (low rainfall) is offset by the very deep soils (sediments deposited by the Aussou, a stream at the edge of the estate) which stores the winter rains for longer but are less fertile due to the presence of a slightly chalky sandstone in the subsoil, dating back to the Campanian (secondary era, prior to the emergence of the Pyrenees).
The vineyard is managed according to the biodynamic system where the energy of the soil lies at the heart of the process. From planting, this vineyard was designed for the development of a top-of-the-range wine: choice of qualitative clones and high planting density greater than 5,000 vines per hectare; high wall bars to obtain a high leaf area favoring photosynthesis and maturation.
Great care and attention are lavished on the vineyard in order to achieve a healthy harvest with moderate yields (25 hl/ha) and hence get the very best out of the grapes. The harvesting date is triggered grape variety by grape variety, and only when the grapes have reached optimum ripeness and after they have been rigorously tasted.
The hand-picked grapes are pneumatically pressed as soon as they get to the winery. After light static settling, some of the juice undergoes alcoholic fermentation in new barrels (70%), while the rest is vinified in stainless steel vats (30%). Malolactic fermentation is then performed. Temperature control is used to conserve all the freshness and integrity of the aromas. Maturing in barrels lasts 7 to 8 months – until the spring equinox – with regular stirring. After a light fining operation the wine is bottled.
It was in 1975, in the vineyards of Château de Villemajouin the heart of the Corbièresthat Gérard Bertrand harvested his first grapes and discovered his passion for wine. He perfected his apprenticeship during twelve years with his father Georges Bertrand. We are now in the fourth generation of winegrowers, from Paule to Georges, then Gérard Bertrand and finally Emma & Mathias.
Deeply attached to the values of performance and excellence learned on the rugby pitch, Gérard Bertrand continues his quest to reveal the best terroirs of his region and promote them worldwide. It was in this spirit that he took up the family torch at Domaine de Villemajou after the accidental death of his father in 1987.
Five years later, he created the wine company Gérard Bertrand to develop a range of wines from the South of France.
Renamed in August 2015, Oatley Fine Wine Merchants is the Oatley family’s Australian wine distribution business.
Oatley Fine Wine Merchants is focused on becoming a leading independent premium wine merchant recognised for the quality of the wines we offer and for the services we provide to our customers. We are committed to offering the flexibility of representation that meets your venue’s specific needs.
All of our producers are independent and family owned, where heritage and authenticity are key. We work in partnership with the wineries we represent with a commitment to deliver wines of the highest quality and standards. We will continue to evolve the portfolio of wines we offer to ensure we meet the challenges of a constantly changing market and evolving consumer preferences.
