Gérard Bertrand : Legend Vintage Rivesaltes 1955

Characteristics and tasting advice for the Legend Vintage Rivesaltes 1955 by Gérard Bertrand

Tasting

Appearance

The color reveals a beautiful amber hue with mahogany, brick-red highlights, underscored by coppery notes. This deep, brilliant shade attests to the wine’s venerable age and its carefully managed evolution over the decades.

Nose

The bouquet unfolds with exceptional complexity. It expresses aromas of candied fruits, notably figs, prunes and dried apricots, alongside notes of beeswax and orange peel. Tertiary nuances of coffee, cocoa, toasted tobacco and leather enrich the whole, while hints of licorice and star anise bring a spicy dimension.

Palate

The palate stands out for its delicacy and remarkable harmony. Flavors of ripe red fruits, prunes and raisins are expressed with elegance, supported by a perfectly balanced natural sweetness. A surprising freshness runs through the tasting, giving the wine a rare vibrancy for a vintage of this age. The very long, persistent finish lingers on notes of caramel, with a smooth, luscious texture.

Food and wine pairings

Legend Vintage Rivesaltes 1955 Gérard Bertrand pairs beautifully with pan-seared foie gras with honey, whose richness complements the wine’s structure. It also matches well with blue cheeses such as Roquefort, game, and game terrines. For a sweeter approach, opt for chocolate and caramel desserts, in direct harmony with the wine’s aromas.

Serving and cellaring

This Legend Vintage Rivesaltes 1955 is ideally served at a temperature between 12 and 14°C, allowing optimal expression of its aromatic complexity. Having already demonstrated exceptional aging potential for more than 70 years, this wine will continue to evolve gracefully if kept under appropriate conditions.

An exceptional Roussillon Vin Doux Naturel

The estate

Gérard Bertrand formally established his company in 1992, after taking over the family estate of Villemajou in 1987, founded by his grandmother Paule in the Corbières. Today, the group oversees 17 estates spread across 900 hectares of vineyards in Languedoc-Roussillon. A pioneer of large-scale biodynamics, Gérard Bertrand farms 930 hectares according to these principles, including 830 hectares certified Demeter. The estate is led by Gérard Bertrand himself, alongside the new generation, with his daughter Emma heading the creative and digital division.

The vineyard

Legend Vintage Rivesaltes 1955 comes from the Rivesaltes appellation, the largest Vin Doux Naturel appellation in France. The vineyard extends over more than 8,000 hectares of stepped terraces and hills crossed by three rivers in the Roussillon. The vines benefit from a complex terroir and a Mediterranean climate conducive to the production of outstanding Vin Doux Naturels. This appellation, recognized as early as 1936 among the first Appellations Contrôlées in France, offers ideal conditions for crafting remarkable age-worthy wines.

The vintage

The 1955 vintage represents a historic year for Roussillon Vin Doux Naturels. This wine bears witness to the climatic conditions and viticultural practices of the time, offering today a unique time capsule of more than seven decades of evolution in bottle.

Winemaking and aging

Legend Vintage Rivesaltes 1955 is crafted using the traditional mutage (fortification) method. Winemaking is carried out in a classic way by blending the grape varieties that make up the wine. During fermentation, neutral grape spirit is added at the optimal moment determined by the cellar master, allowing fermentation to be stopped while preserving both natural sweetness and a high alcohol level. The wine is then aged under oxidative conditions in large vessels, gradually developing its tawny hue and its characteristic tertiary aromas of coffee, cocoa and candied fruits.

Grape varieties

Legend Vintage Rivesaltes 1955 is made from a blend of Grenache and Macabeu.